The Controlled Chaos of Free Will
by anothvortex
Summary: In the spirit of Naruto Reads Naruto by Sage of Seals, and with his explicit permission, a new group of Naruto characters will be exposed to worlds spawned by the best and brightest fan fiction authors of our time! Rated M for safety!
1. An Offer That They Couldn't Refuse

No I don't own Naruto. I also want to be extremely clear that I don't own, or have the ability to write any of the other stories used here.  
I have asked for permission where I can, and when informed that I cannot use them, I have not. If I received no comment, or had no method of contacting the author because they deactivated their PMs, I will make a note of it at the beginning of the chapter. For those of you unfamiliar with the format or some of the OC commentary here, I suggest you check out Naruto Reads Naruto by Sage of Seals in my favorite stories section.

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter One

An Offer That They Couldn't Refuse.

Looking upwards, Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his clan acknowledged by Konoha, gnashed his teeth in rage. No matter how much it galled him to admit, that dead last Naruto had completely and utterly defeated him. Despite his superior taijutsu, family's ninjutsu, and the strongest assassination technique their Sensei could provide, the blonde had blasted through everything he had attempted in their duel through sheer stubborn pride and overwhelming power. The blown out back of the water tower above him bore mute testament to that fact.

It made no sense to the young prodigy. For years, Uzumaki Naruto had been a loser, constantly falling behind and dragging those around him down. Yet, after a few short months as a Genin, he had progressed to match the top of the class in terms of power and nearly as much skill. How could he have come so far in such a short amount of time? Was Naruto truly that strong? Or was he, the genius and avenger of the Uchiha simply that weak? Either way, it was enough to infuriate him beyond all reason.

Smashing his fist into the unyielding stone of the hospital wall, Sasuke felt totally lost. In that moment of time, all he wanted to do was leave, and never look back. He needed power and strength to avenge his fallen clansmen and women. Yet, someone who was such a goofball was gaining what he needed without any apparent effort! It was just not fair that someone without a true purpose and had no idea what proper suffering was, dared to gain strength at such a rate! What had he ever done to deserve it?

Suddenly driven to move, to leave, to just find some sort of peace, the Genin prepared his chakra to leap into the air. But before he could complete the technique, the Uchiha found himself bound in place. Despite his best attempts, no part of his body would budge an inch. He barely had a moment to register the frozen clouds and birds in his field of vision, before everything seemed to blank out. The last thing he would remember from the experience was an unknown voice stating that, "It's not going to be that simple this time, you little brat." With that cryptic statement, Uchiha Sasuke felt himself fade into nothingness.

* * *

Falling on his side, Uzumaki Naruto fought his normal urge to cry out in pain and irritation. The more important thing for the moment was figuring out what the heck was going on here? One moment he was on top of the hospital staring at a crying Sakura and frustrated that his duel had been stopped. The next moment, he was appearing in the middle of some sort of featureless plane, with no end in sight. Rubbing his eyes at the weird sight, the blonde looked around more carefully only to blink in surprise. It appeared that he was not alone in this freaky place. Thankfully, they were all familiar faces.

In one direction, Kurenai-sensei was helping Hinata-chan to her feet, with Shino, Kiba and Akamaru keeping watch. Asuma-sensei was not far behind, with Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji flanking him from behind. Gai-sensei was closer, with Lee, Tenten and Neji in triangle formation around his position. While it was kind of nice to see his comrades from the Chunin Exam, the other members made him a bit curious. Was this some sort of makeup test? Or had something seriously gone wrong.

After all, why else would Baa-chan and Ero-senin be looking around like crazy, with Shizune-nee-chan backing them up? Then there was Iruka-sensei with the crazy snake lady and some strange chick with three dogs like Kiba. Even Gaara was there, with the fan chick and makeup freak keeping their distance. Then of course, there was Kakashi-sensei, kunai in hand shielding a still sniffling Sakura-chan and frazzled looking Sasuke. If this was some sort of do over for the Chunin Exam, why the heck would all of these people be looking so freaked out? "Kakashi-sensei, what the hell is going on? One minute we're on top of the Hospital, the next we're in the middle of nowhere!"

Not budging from his position, the gray haired cyclops replied. "I have no idea Naruto. There was a sense of disorientation, and we found ourselves here, wherever here is. I'm pretty sure no one else was hanging around the Hospital anyways." Feeling a sudden pressure, Naruto turned to see the disapproving gaze of Jiraiya. Mentally wincing, he held his ground without regret. It appeared that the old pervert had heard about his fight with Sasuke.

One by one, each of the various groups agreed with Kakashi-sensei's declaration. Kurenai-sensei had been in a training ground, going over some maneuvers before Shino left with his father on a mission the next day. Asuma-sensei had been treating his team at the barbeque place to celebrate Shikamaru's advancement. Gai-sensei, Neji and Tenten had been cooling down after their own training, while Lee had been heading towards the Hokage tower to discuss his surgery. Baa-chan had been going over procedures of her position with Shizune, and Iruka-sensei had been heading home after a mission. The Snake Lady and the Inuzuka kunoichi had been going drinking, and Gaara's team had been heading home after a border patrol. All in all, everyone had been doing different things in different locations all over Konoha and beyond. So the question was, why where they all here?

Stepping before his teammates, Gaara cleared his throat. "I have no idea why my siblings and I have been caught in this mess, but for the meantime, I am willing to work with Konoha to determine a method of escape. Could the highest ranked member of your party please come forward so that we can understand your chain of command?" Hearing that sort of logical argument, coming from the formerly psychotic sand ninja, left Naruto feeling stunned. What the heck had he dislodged during their fight to cause such a personality shift?

Stepping forward, Baa-chan nodded her acceptance. "It s nice to get that issue out of the way. I am Tsunade, recently installed Godaime Hokage of Konoha. As the ranking ninja of this group, it is my pleasure to accept help from our Suna allies. Hopefully, we can determine the limitations of what has happened to us, and how to best deal with the situation." At that comment, a strange chuckling broke out that made his hair stand on end. If he did not know better, Naruto would have sworn that a ghost had shown up!

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance in clearing your concerns up? I would not dream of inconveniencing the great and powerful Tsunade with anything more than a few minor theatrics." Confused by the unfamiliar voice, Naruto looked everywhere before being startled by a tap on the shoulder. For the rest of his life, he would state that his cry of surprise and sudden leap forward were totally manly in their execution. Thankfully, everyone else was too startled by their unexpected host to pay much attention to his antics.

* * *

Narrowing his eyes at the stranger behind Naruto, Kakashi felt his grip on the kunai tighten involuntarily. It was not like the figure was particularly intimidating. He was neither too tall nor too short, with slightly worn clothing of basic black, green and brown combinations. His face was too chubby to be handsome, but a bit to lean to be cute and his eyes seemed to shift from green to grey in the odd lighting of their location. No, the only thing that concerned the Jonin about the figure was his smile, which would not have looked out of place in the Forest of Death. That was not a look he wanted on the face of an unknown enemy.

He was about to move and subdue the figure, only to have Gaara get there first. Their supposed host had barely finished spooking Naruto before the Suna ninja had launched a wave of sand in his direction. Despite his experience, Kakashi was glad he was not the target of the technique. Even with his Sharingan, he would be hard pressed to overcome such a move. It took barely three seconds for the sand to cocoon their prisoner, turning the tables in an instant. Honestly, it was a welcome relief after their abrupt abduction.

Of course, when the figure moved through the sand as if it was not there, all that tension came back at full force. "I am sorry, my dear boy, but that won't do you much good here. Direct harm against any person or persons within this location is against the rules after all." Releasing another disturbing, high pitched chuckle, the figure continued as if he was just discussing the weather, as opposed to overcoming an A-ranked capture technique. "Of course, it was really my fault for not filling you in on the details. So don't worry you little head about it, ok? I'm sure all will become clear before too much longer."

Before another attack could be launched, Tsunade-sama stepped forward with all the authority of a Sannin, which in Kakashi's opinion, seemed to be pretty impressive. "Enough of these games! Identify yourself, and explain where we are at once! Otherwise, we will make you wish you had never been born!" Hearing the tone of her speech, the Jonin winced on the inside. If that was the Godaime's idea of diplomacy, the next few years in the village would be, to quote a Nara, quite troublesome.

Laughing again, their supposed captor's smirk only seemed to grow. "Oh, I was getting to that, Tsunade of the Sannin. I would not be much of a host if I didn't introduce myself after all." Standing straighter, the figure almost seemed to loom in the strange light of their current environment. At that moment, Kakashi almost felt an instinctive urge to flee, as if something higher on the food chain had suddenly noticed a gnat gnawing on their ear. "I am known by many names, including the Grey Star, Balance Bringer, and Imprinter. But for the purposes of this conversation, I believe that we can go by my favorite title. To you and yours, I am Anoth Vortex, the Laughing Magician. Please let me welcome you to my humble home!" Seeing the now named Anoth's eyes flash with an insane light, Kakashi suppressed an urge to flinch. He just knew that things were going to get a lot more complicated from here on out.

* * *

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Tsunade of the Sannin, Godaime Hokage looked on in impotent rage as their captor continued to laugh. She was all for smearing the bastard into the pavement, but that would just make her look foolish. Her trained senses had been fully active at the time of Gaara's attack, and she still had no idea how this Vortex character was able to phase through the sand like that. Anybody who could develop a technique for capturing multiple A and S-ranked ninja without any warning had to be dealt with carefully. So, for now, she would stick with demands and glares. That did not mean that the busty blonde had to like it! "Well, I'm still waiting for my explanation!"

Shaking his head in continued amusement, the figure finally stopped laughing. "Ah, I'm sorry about that. I just don't get a chance to let loose like that very often. It's surprisingly satisfying." Cricking his neck to the side, Vortex's smile seemed to take up most of his face. "As to the reason that I brought you all here, and yes it was me who did so, is quite simple. I was just that bored."

Hearing this creature talk about their capture so casually snapped the last vestiges of the Hokage's temper. Launching herself at their captor, the Sannin prepared to unleash her strongest possible punch. Unfortunately, like Gaara, her attack was simply phased through by the smirking figure. To make matters worse, the ground refused to even budge when the missed strike made contact. Clearly there would be no easy escape from their current torment. Unsatisfied by such pathetic returns, Tsunade snapped in full rage. "How dare you treat us and our lives so easily? We are not your toys, but people you arrogant asshole! What gives you the right to treat us in this fashion?"

Still smiling, Vortex's eyes seemed to grow cold. "This is just plain hilarious! I would laugh again if such a statement was not so pathetic! Are you attempting to claim moral superiority over me, ninja? Didn't your village arrange for a number of teenagers to fight to the death for the amusement of the masses a few weeks ago? What makes you think that I should care about your wants, hopes and desires? After all, in the grand scheme of things, you really are quite small." With that, their location changed completely.

Before, their prison appeared to be some featureless room, with no visible light or boundaries. Personally, the Hokage had assumed a genjutsu of some sort and had spent more time checking out her troops for possible plants and the like. But now, through some unseen mechanism, their surroundings had transformed into a vision of epic beauty and awe. Stars shone though gouts of blue flame. Chunks of rock smashed into one another, releasing clouds of white gas. Vast balls of light seemed to shrink and shatter, sundering the surroundings in giant balls of nothingness. It was beyond anything she could imagine and it terrified some primal core in the back of her mind. In all honesty, Tsunade had never felt so small.

Apparently, their host was made of sterner stuff. "Let me tell you a little story, ninjas one and all. Before your eyes are the wonders, and horrors of your own universe. To put things in perspective, each and every pinprick you now see are not stars, but whole galaxies. Your universe is comprised of billions of galaxies, which in turn are comprised of billions of stars, which tend to be the suns of a solar system of quite a few planets. That makes nearly trillions of planets out there that, even with the absurd number of requirements needed to make a planet livable at all, means that there are a near infinite number of life forms that are either around your average stalk of grass's intelligence level, or so far ahead of your understanding that it's laughable. That is the extent of just your universe and your own places in it, so why should I be particularly impressed? Especially, when I am not one who is limited by the nature of a single universe?"

With a mere gesture, the sweeping expanse of the area around them seemed to shrink into the size of a soap bubble, before being joined by countless others linked by the barest of contact. "You see, this is my domain. I don't claim to be some all knowing god, or superpower, but I am a figure of some minor importance in the Multiverse. For those of you unfamiliar with probability theory, not that I believe that it's been properly developed in your world anyways, this is where all reality could truly be said to exist, rather than the miniscule amount that you actually understand." Having no idea what the creature before them was talking about Tsunade forced herself to remain calm. It appeared that they we in a bit over their heads and pissing off Vortex would only make things worse.

But he appeared to be on a roll, with no signs of stopping. "This is the place where all possibilities lie. Want to see the world where Uchiha Madara became the Shodai? Then that's the universe for the show! Want to see a world where Orochimaru became Hokage, and ended up with thirteen children and Naruto as a step-son? Head down a dozen universes to the right! Any possible world, situation and existence are here for my viewing pleasure."

That was when the chaos element known as Uzumaki Naruto's big mouth decided to come into play. "Oh yeah? If we're so damn boring, why the hell did you grab us all? You claim that you've got tons of worlds you can watch at will, can see everything we could have done or do, and yet here we are! If we were really that tiny and unimportant, then you shouldn't even have bothered grabbing us! But just wait until I get my hands on you! I'll Rasengan your ass..." At that point, Kakashi showed his brilliance as a ninja, and forced the Genin to be quiet. Tsunade knew she was going to have to slip something into his next paycheck for that little bit of action, even if it was a bit late.

Surprisingly, Vortex did not appear to take offense to his actions at all. In fact, he only seemed to radiate sheer amusement. "Why, you're everything I expected, Uzumaki Naruto. This is going to be fun!" Rubbing his hands together, the creature in humanoid skin chuckled. "As to why I decided to grab you, well, you can blame a pesky inter-dimensional traveler for that one."

Waving his hands, their captor changed the room back into its previous, unremarkable state. "Among my interests within the Multiverse, I have a small side business renting dimensional spaces to those interested. As you can see, manipulating a personal plane of reality can be quite a bit of fun, and much better than any silly movie theater. One of my tenants, a Sage of Seals, was late paying his rent on a minor pocket of eleventh dimensional space, so I decided to give him a bit of a reminder. Imagine my surprise when I discovered copies of yourselves there, receiving information about the future." Hearing about other versions of her and her ninja left Tsunade feeling cold. Even if she had never seen this person before, exposure to similar people would give him all the background needed to deal with their specialtiesand tricks. That just made the situation even more difficult than she had thought.

Shaking his head, Vortex continued with a slightly unhinged look on his face. "Of course, the boy's actions were against a number of rules, and overall quite foolish. Given the impact of choice upon the Multiverse, for every world that is aided directly in such a way, another will suffer a proportionate amount. That's why directly influencing worlds in such a fashion is frowned upon in certain circles. In the end it is pointless in the true scheme of things. For his actions, I should have terminated the man's lease, wiped the memories of his guests, and notified the proper authorities. However, I decided that this could be much more fun." Hearing how their supposed host stressed the word fun, Tsunade felt a chill go down her spine. She really did not want to be a part of anything that this person found to be fun.

Sitting down, and ignoring that there was no chair for the moment, he smirked. "Here's the deal. I want some entertainment, and thanks to Sage of Seals, there is now an imbalance. I could simply allow hundreds of alternate versions of your own world get that much darker to compensate, but this is probably a bit safer. You actions and experiences will balance out the knowledge your analogues gained by his information distribution. Where the Sage is using data and hints to guide your analogues into the light, I will rely upon good old human nature. You will be granted a similar situation to what his guests are currently undergoing. Only, instead of providing you with glimpses of an alternative past or future of my choice hidden by a bit of trickery, I will offer you the chance to ask questions and provide answers, within certain limitations." Hearing that, Tsunade frowned. She knew just how dangerous information could be if in the wrong hands.

That did not stop her old teammate from interceding. "While this is all very interesting, wrong information can be more dangerous than no information at all. How do we know that what you show us is not going to be some simple trick designed to bite us later? How can we even ensure that what we see here is not going to be tilted to meet some unknown goal you have in the future? A few pretty lights do not an all seeing mystic make." Narrowing her eyes at the thought, the blonde Hokage nodded her agreement.

Taping a finger to his lips, Vortex seemed unmoved by their disbelief. "I suppose that is a fair question. I will admit that there are certain rules that will be upheld during the process. So I cannot state that I am not influencing things to some small degree. However I know two pieces of data that you might find interesting. First, I know the name of leader of Akatsuki. Second, I know a single, three digit number that would make Tsunade attempt to kill you again. What do you think about that?" Hearing that, the Hokage was brought up short.

Despite the dangers involved, Tsunade knew that they would have to give this a chance the second that organization was mentioned. Akatsuki was a complete mystery at the moment, so any information that they could possibly get about that was of vital importance. Plus, judging from how the perverts face was turning white, she really needed to find out what that bastard was talking about in terms of that number! Sighing in defeat, the Hokage nodded her agreement. She could always have Inoichi attempt to wipe the memories of certain individuals if things turned sour.

Reaching into his cloak, their host smiled. "Now then, everyone will take turns drawing lots from this bag. Some of you will get the right to ask a question, while others will not. If this proves to be amusing, we might do another drawing, but let's see how you manage with a single round to start. But remember that only the person getting a numbered slip of paper will be able to ask a question, and no outside interference! You will learn what you actually want to know, not what you think you do, and live with the consequences!" Opening the bag, he held it out with shining eyes. "So, who's first to the chopping block?" Narrowing her eyes, Tsunade reached forward, ready to start things off. With the way things were going, her luck was sure to land her with a big old number one!

* * *

Gulping, Sakura reached into the bag to draw her lot. Tsunade-sama's rage at getting a blank piece of paper had been terrifying to behold, but at least she had not attacked their captor again. Despite his self depreciation, anyone in a position of power within this Multiverse thing was not someone the Genin wanted pissed off. Remembering the scope of what he claimed was their Universe was enough to make her shiver in fear. She had never in her life felt so insignificant, and it was not a sensation she was eager to repeat.

Unfortunately, when she saw her own lot had a big number five, Sakura started yearning for that sense of unimportance. Anoth Vortex had already said that everyone was required to ask a question and get their answer. No one could chose to opt out, or they would all lose that chance for information. It did not take a genius to realize that Tsunade would kill them if a chance to gain valuable intelligence was lost because they did not have the nerve to ask a couple of questions. That did not mean that she was looking forward to the responsibility.

Honestly, a part of Sakura that was not terrified out of her mind at the moment was a little curious. What this Laughing Magician had described seemed completely impossible, but being on a team with Naruto had tempered her disbelief in strange shit. She wondered if her question would show a world where she was happily married to Sasuke or one where she was no longer a burden on the team. The chance to see her secret desires was only countered by her concern about how the questions would be answered, and how those around her would react to them.  
Still it was not like she had much choice in the matter.

Hearing a sudden squeak, the kunoichi looked up at an even paler Hinata, holding a slip of her own. Even from this distance, Sakura could see the bright number one. Remembering the girl's attitudes and actions in the Academy and later the Chunin Exam, Sakura felt a ball of ice form in the pit of her stomach. While Sakura would never want to be the one to start, forcing someone like Hinata to do so was just plain cruel. After all, everybody knew that there was only one thing the girl would ever wonder about.

Smirking, Vortex retrieved his bag. "Well then, it appears that we have our first round. First to go will be Hinata, followed by Kurenai, Shizune, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Shino, Ino, Anko, Jiraiya, and finally Naruto. Now that we have that bit of business out of the way, why don't you get comfortable? This is going to be an interesting experience." Turning, Sakura was surprised to find a comfortable chair complete with boxes of snacks and bottles of drinks for the taking. Knowing that it could have been a trap, but realizing that there was little to do about things if it was, the Genin took a seat, noting that everyone else appeared to be following her example. This was not a time for conflict, but to analyze and gather information. Snorting, Sakura wondered if this was the sort of thing that Ibiki-sensei meant when he described his test back in the Chunin Exams.

* * *

Unlike her comrades and acquaintances, Hinata was neither sitting nor attempting to gather information. All she could see and comprehend was the fact she would be the first to ask a question in this twisted game. As a kunoichi of Konoha and a member of Team Eight, she knew that such information could prove to be vital to the future of the village. But despite that, the task before her seemed to be far too great for her to handle. The fact that everyone would be observing it only made things ten times worse.

Hinata knew that she had a question she wanted answered more than anything else in the world. Day in and day out, she had wondered if she would ever be able to truly understand her feelings for Naruto or better yet, express them to the blonde. Nothing would make her happier than knowing that all her faith and desires were not just a waste of time, or adolescent fantasy. The idea that she, the possible heir of a major clan of Konoha, could ever be in a relationship with a social pariah like Uzumaki Naruto would make most sigh in exasperation or laugh out loud. But to Hinata, finding a way for such a thing to be possible would make her happier than anything else in her life.

Unfortunately, this opportunity like all others had its costs. Perhaps she would ask her question, only to discover it was truly hopeless. Or, she could find a way, but the costs would be far too high. Then, there was the fact that her feelings would be broadcast to everyone in her age group, their Sensei's and the children of the last Kazekage. While she was not ashamed of Naruto, having such personal thoughts broadcast freely like that left her feeling cold.

Mentally sighing at the lost opportunities, Hinata turned to the smirking Vortex with a new question on her lips. The Genin had caught the reference to an Akatsuki organization that both the Hokage and Jiraiya-sama had seemed really interested in. For the good of Konoha, she would simply have to ask about that and keep her curiosity about other matters to the wayside for the moment. That did not mean that she was happy about it. "Very well, Vortex-san. I'm ready to ask my question."

Giving her a creepy smirk, their captor waved his hand, activating a spot light. "Well then, Hinata, feel free to step into the light. Remember, this question will be your own, and cannot be influenced by anyone or anything. Once asked, it cannot be unasked. But most importantly, you will hear the answer and you will always remember it. Now step into the light, and let's get this show on the road." Gathering her courage, the shy Hyuga stepped forward.

At that point, things went out of her control. It was not like Hinata was unable to move or anything like that. But the question she had crafted, asking about the details of Akatsuki or potential threats to Konoha refused to be spoken. Instead, to her horror, she found herself asking her true heart's desire, no matter how hard she tried not to. All the Genin could do was sit back in her own mind, and hear the words coming from her mouth. "There is a certain boy that I admire more than any other. But he has always been alone because I've been too scared to let him know my feelings directly. What I wish to know, is if I had gathered the courage to approach him, could something have developed between us? Or is it all some stupid fantasy I've deluded myself with?" " Feeling the loss of control end, Hinata staggered out of the light, mortified. She had been unable to do anything to stop her confession, and that terrified her more than words could say.

Shaking his head, Vortex gave her a smile, clearly tinged with amusement. "Did you really think that the rules here were so easy to change? I told you that only your own true question would be the one you could ask. No attempt to block it for the greater good or perceived orders of your leader would work. This is a question just for you, and as such, it is the only one that you can give." Feeling helpless and weak, Hinata fought back tears. She had been warned, but had never realized just how far he would go to enforce his claims. It left her miserablefor failing such an important task.

Cracking his neck, Vortex's smile turned surprisingly gentle. "Now for the answer to your question, I can honestly state that out of all the possible partners he could have, you are one of the most likely to succeed in a real relationship. So don't worry about that anymore, ok?" With that statement, every ounce of Hinata's self-loathing and depression dissolved like a steam cloud. It did not matter that they were not able to learn anything from her thoughtless question. As long as she knew that it was possible, hope would spring eternal!

Leaning back into the empty air, he continued his explanation to the captive audience. "In about sixty percent of the possible universes, you either become his sole love interest, or a primary member of his harem. Then, there are the worlds where you adopt a younger sister aspect, providing family bonds both of you need without any real romance." Blushing at the word harem, Hinata struggled to remain conscious. While she would admit, if only in the depths of her own mind, being a little curious about aspects of Naruto's transformation, entering into such a relationship was almost more than she could bear! That was when the bastard had to wreck her train of thought. "Then there are the worlds where you become his willing follower and servant. A relationship between you two is quite possible, but a healthy relationship will take a bit more work."

Scratching his head, Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Hinata-chan, who's this guy talking about?" With that, Hinata remembered that she was surrounded by numerous classmates and Jonin of her village, not to mention the Hokage herself! She also realized that, while she knew exactly who Vortex was talking about, not everybody apparently got it. Burying her head in her jacket, the Genin wished that the floor would just swallow her whole.

Chuckling, Vortex shook his head. "While I'm sure it will be obvious eventually, Naruto, why don't I speed things up? While I've seen all sorts of interesting worlds where Hinata realizes her feelings and acts upon them, we'll start off slow. Let's see just what would have happened if she had taken a small step several years ago?" Snapping his fingers, the room once again began to change. "See what could have been, feel what was felt and grasp the pain and pleasure that comes with understanding your actions." With that, everything began to change.

* * *

Author's Notes

So...I'm guessing you all want to kill me at this time?

Why don't I explain and then you can break out the machetes and firecrackers...

Now then, for those of you who follow my other stories, especially Escape from the Hokage's Hat and Different Techniques, you will be aware that I am currently going back to school to get a new certificate. Back in July, I admitted that I would be working on a summer course, but did not see any reason that I couldn't continue to update. It was done with the best of intentions, and I actually do have about fifty percent of the next chapter of Escape from The Hokage's Hat completed. That's when life decided to throw me a new loop -_-;;;

The certificate that I am currently training in? It was for a job in a different department at work. So I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when, halfway through the requirements, I was informed that I would be going to that new department anyways! Only, instead of a new title and resulting pay raise, I would be put on "probation" for about three to six months doing a more difficult job while making the same amount of money. A job with a giant backlog of work no one had dealt with since the end of February. So that, coupled with the additional classes I still have to complete took up quite a bit of time.

But hey, writing is how I unwind. So, after I finally finished dealing with the backlog on tap for my new job, I decided to jump back in to the chapter I had left hanging. Problem is, I realized that despite fully outlining the chapter in question, I was stuck on how to execute it! Yes, despite my best efforts, I had a full blown case of writers block!

Normally, when that sort of thing happens, I get to work on a new chapter of Different Techniques. Problem part two, is that the next chapter of that series is a Dr. Who cross, and I still have to sit down and finish the David Tennant movies which I borrowed about eight months ago -_-;;;

That's when I decided to break pattern a bit. Part of my existing writing style is to carefully outline and develop a plot before writing a single page. But, in the spirit of Sage of Seals and any other number of writers, I decided to work with existing work. That way, I can get a greater understanding of the characters and focus less on structure and more on reaction. Hopefully, the experience will get the old writing muscles back in shape and new chapters of my other stories will follow.

To be clear, I do have Sage of Seals permission to use his format, and reference his original character for this. While a crossover is not in the works at this time, especially since his story is on hiatus for the moment, there will be some references to his character and said character's actions.

I sent out requests to a number of other authors, and the only ones that will be used here without express permission are those who deactivated their messaging systems. Please pay attention to my notices of the original owners and titles of the stories in question. I have NO INTEREST in taking credit for someone else's work. Also, if you enjoy what you read, please go support them and their work. Writers always enjoy feedback, and doing so simply encourages productivity. *hint* *hint*

Oh, and to be clear, I did reference two separate stories by the excellent Lucillia in this introduction. I didn't ask for permission, since I didn t use any of the actual text, but let the credit go where credit is due.

For the story about Madara as the Shodai, check out her story Shodaime Madara.  
For the story about Orochimaru and his thirteen children and blonde stepson, check out Yondaime. Both are short, but also quite a hoot!

Oh and Anoth Vortex? He's actually the first self insert I ever produced. Over the years, he's gotten quite a bit meaner than he originally was, but time and circumstances will do that to the best of them. I think that those stories might still be floating around somewhere, but for my own sense of self respect please don't attempt to locate them. Thinking back to those incidents just makes me want to hang my head in shame -_-;;;

Now then, stay tuned for the depths of Hinata's answer! Oh, and as always I'll supply a cyber cookie to those who caught which story I'm going to use first. :)


	2. Ground Rules of Nostalgia:OSS Chapter 1

No I don't own Naruto. Nor can I claim the rights to the story highlighted below. That honor goes to the marvelous Shawny Wong.  
Remember, anything in **bold** is not written by my hand.

Thoughts and impressions are in _italics_.

* * *

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter Two

Ground Rules of Nostalgia

**Universal Coordinates - 4139575/1 **  
**Universal Coordinator - Shawny Wong **  
**Universal Identification - One Small Step **  
**Time Stamp - Butterfly Kiss**

Naruto blinked as their surroundings seemed to shift once again. Now, instead of some wierd and featureless room, they seemed to be in the courtyard of the ninja academy! Every rock, tree and bush were as familiar as the back of the blonde's hand. He had used that knowledge time and time again to ensure that his instructors got their fair share of gray hairs. After all, without such detailed understanding of the terrain he would never have lasted as long as he did as the village's number one prankster king!

That realization did nothing to answer the main question though. "Hey Vortex, why are we in the village? This isn't exactly the sort of place to have some sort of grand epic adventure." After all, half of the fun of the Academy was avoiding actually going to classes. Why the heck would he want to go here now, except to bum ramen off of Iruka-sensei?

Chuckling, the bastard smirked in such a way that the blonde was tempted to smash his teeth in. No one should get away with looking smugger than Sasuke and Neji combined. "Actually, this is just the sort of place where great things can happen." Idly waving his hand, the dimensional creature seemed amused by their reactions. "I did say that this place was better than any movie theater, didn't I? I am simply attempting to prove a point, and this is one of the best places to do it."

Finally standing from his position in mid-air, Vortex cracked his knuckles. "This space allows me to observe and experience other timelines from any number of different worlds. While we are here, you will be able to see, hear, and feel to some degree the paths and motivations of your analogs. Analogs are alternate versions of yourselves in another universe, so while they might seem similar to you there are usually a few minor to major differences." Picturing everyone with a double, Naruto bit back a shudder. For some reason, that seemed really creepy, even to a guy who spammed Shadow Clones as much as he did!

With another snap of his fingers, Vortex brought them within Iruka-sensei's old class room. Seeing himself looking so small was a bit of a shock, but it was hardly the first that he had dealt with. Raising a hand, the bastard let off another evil grin. "Now then, pay close attention. It's time to show how a small change can have such significant consequences. Oh, and let's prove to Hinata that I wasn't just blowing steam earlier." Hearing that, the blonde prepared to focus. Just what sort of change was he talking about anyways?

* * *

**Naruto had the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. They were like the summer sky, like the tropical sea, and endlessly blue. Hinata thought privately for she would never dare voice this aloud that his eyes were more striking than any Hyuuga eyes could ever hope to be. The pale pupiless eyes of her family's vaunted bloodline were cold, prideful, and intimidating. Naruto's eyes were the exact opposite; they were warm, vibrant, and full of life. Naruto's eyes were almost too pretty for a boy, she decided. Long, full eyelashes that curled up at the tips framed sapphire orbs. She could spend all day daydreaming about his eyes.**

Blushing scarlet, Hinata looked around, wondering where the feelings of love and adulation were coming from. Spying herself sitting in the back row, eyes fixed on Naruto as he fidgeted in the front. It was a scene that had repeated many times in the Academy, but she had not realized until that moment just how early she had focused upon the blonde in exclusion of all else. Although, her past self did have pretty good taste! Thinking about Naruto-kun's eyes made her blush triple in intensity

**Naruto was almost the exact antithesis to the Hyuuga. Her clan was stern, almost cold; dignity was to be preserved at all costs; rules were to be adhered to at all times. With their unique silver-white eyes and dark hair, the Hyuuga were unmistakably the elite of the elite and the pride of Konoha. Naruto, on the other hand, was anything but. He was an unrecognized orphan with no background. He embodied chaos and flaunted the rules. It seemed fitting that, physically, he was as far from a Hyuuga as it was possible to get. He had sun kissed golden hair not brown or black and adorable whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks. And he was so strong! He seemed to bounce back from any obstacle with little to no effort. Whenever he got knocked down, he got right back up and kept going. He was like no one else she'd ever met in her short life.**

**He was everything she'd ever wanted to be.**

**It was no wonder she developed a horrible crush on him the instant she'd seen him.**

Seeing her student's younger face turn wistful, Kurenai wondered just how much energy Hinata had invested in Naruto anyways. Given the payout, it did not seem like much of an investment so far.

**Currently, she was in class trying desperately with limited success to keep her focus on Iruka-sensei's lesson, instead of on her blond classmate. She couldn't afford to miss a thing! She was only in her second year at the academy, but already her performance shamed her father and her clan. Last year, she had received decent scores all across the board and been ranked somewhere in the upper-middle of her class. But for the Hyuuga, a decent score was abysmal a Hyuuga should ace any test of skill or knowledge and to rank around the middle of her class was an embarrassment a Hyuuga should easily be able to surpass his (or her) peers. This held doubly true for the Hyuuga heiress. She needed to do better this year. If she failed to score perfect marks this year She didn't even want to imagine what her punishment would be. She shuddered inwardly.**

Remembering just what that punishment had been, Hinata's scarlet face changed to a ghostly white.

**It didn't help matters that her cousin Neji who was just one year older than her had ranked first in his class. He had out performed all his peers, seemingly without any effort. Already, he was hailed as the next great genius of her generation and he was only eight! To make matters worse, he was the prodigy of the Hyuuga branch family while she was the heiress of the Hyuuga main family.**

Hearing about how Hinata had been pressured because of his own success, Neji shifted uncomfortably. Once, such thoughts would have filled him with glee and self-satisfaction. But now, all they did was leave him feeling hollow.

**The lesson of the day was memory retention techniques used by shinobi in the field. Iruka-sensei was going over various mind games to strengthen memory recall and different ways to memorize information quickly. It was intriguing. She could see useful applications for these memory tricks outside of the shinobi field. For instance, she could use them to remember all the guests (by name and title) at the formal political dinners with her family that she was forced to meet and greet. She could also use them to memorize names and qualities of medicinal plants.**

Nodding her own agreement, Shizune smiled at their Hinata. "Those are very good points, Hinata. Given the complexity and variety of elements that make up medical research, having a good memory is an absolute necessity." Smiling, Hinata bowed her thanks for the compliment.

**"Naruto! Pay attention!" barked Iruka-sensei, as he threw an eraser at the blonde. The class snickered as the eraser hit him in the face. (The blond boy had apparently been simultaneously preparing spitballs, folding paper airplanes, and carving the words "Sasuke Sucks!" on his desk with a kunai. Naruto took multitasking to a whole new level.)**

Remembering just how far Naruto had gone since they started working as a team, Sakura fought back her instinct to bash the blonde over the head. Given recent events, she could not quite find the motivation to defend Sasuke from something so childish.

"Ouch, Ino what the hell was that for?"

Ino on the other hand, had no such reservations.

**"These memory retention techniques are very important for a ninja! And they're especially important for you! You can use them to help you remember your lessons and homework assignments, especially since you seem to keep forgetting everything I say!"**

Iruka nodded at the memory. It was one of his main points in this lecture, and he always tried to make it, even without crazy blonde Jinchuuriki acting as disruptions for the class.

**"But Iruka-sensei "**

**"No buts, Naruto. If you're going to be a ninja "**

**"I am!"**

**"If you're going to be a ninja," Iruka continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "then you'll need to be able to remember mission details after only hearing them once. You'll need to memorize names, faces, ranks and techniques from the Bingo Book. And what if you're sent on an espionage mission? After you infiltrate the enemy's base, you'll need to memorize exact numbers of enemy ninja and escape routes. If you discover their plans and strategies, you'll need to memorize those, too. You'll need to do all this without writing any of it down."**

Remembering his own experiences with Naruto's retention, Jiraiya bit back a wince. It appeared that this lesson would not stick with the boy, even if a hundred erasers were thrown at his thick skull. He definitely got that one from his mother.

**"Hai, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said with a gusty sigh, rubbing his head where the eraser had struck.**

**"Cheer up, Naruto. You can also use these techniques to memorize my lectures." Iruka grinned. "Tell you what. If you can prove to me that you've mastered these memory retention techniques I'll let you get away without taking notes in class for a week because I'll assume you will memorize the lectures instead."**

Grinning, Anko shot Iruka a speculative gaze. "Ah the good old carrot and the stick trick. It's always a classic way to motivate the masses."

Seeing the Chunin blush, the Snake Summoner flashed a quick, satisfied grin. It appeared that she still had it, as if there was any doubt!

**"All right, Iruka-sensei! Why didn't you say so before?" Naruto pumped his fist in the air. Hinata almost giggled at his behavior. He was just so full of life!**

Tsunade fought against her own maternal instincts. Naruto's resemblance to Nawaki had been both endearing and depressing for a moment there. -

**"That applies everyone else, too." The rest of the class perked up at that announcement.**

**Iruka continued with the lecture.**

**"Now as part of the midterm exams next week, you will be expected to demonstrate your ability to retain information using the memory techniques that we just discussed. An audio recording of 5 different mission details and 5 hypothetical conversations between enemy ninja will be playedonce, for the entire class, first thing in the morning. So don't be late! After lunch, you will write down every detail that you can remember from all 10 scenarios. Your grade is based on how much detail you have memorized."**

**The class groaned.**

Snorting, Hana looked over the various Genin in attendance. "Hey, don't knock it kids. These techniques are really important in the field! I knew one guy who couldn't master them, and had to write down the information in his own blood when he ran out of ink!" Seeing the Konoha kids turning green, the Inuzuka gave herself a mental pat on the back. Grossing out the younger generations never got old! It was especially true if that lesson saved their lives someday.

**"Your homework assignment for this week will be to practice all of these memory techniques using these." Iruka held up a cassette tape from a box on his desk. "Make sure you each take one before you leave today. Each of these tapes contain 60 minutes of different scenarios you may encounter in the field, as well as a handful of Bingo Book entries mostly well known ninja. I expect you to listen to the tape, write down what you can remember, then go back and listen again, to see how much you were able to remember."**

**The lunch bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson and the beginning of the lunch hour. The class, as one entity, swarmed out the doors of the Academy and into the fresh air outside. Hinata noticed that her crush was lingering behind, deliberately waiting for all the other students to exit.**

_**He must want to speak with Iruka-sensei in private.**_

Eyes widening, Naruto finally realized what day this was. Looking around, he felt himself get embarrassed. This was not a conversation he particularly wanted his friends to see.

**She was torn, hesitating just outside the classroom. It was wrong to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. Hinata knew this. But the chance to find out more about her crush was so tempting! In the end, her curiosity overrode her conscience. She stayed where she was out of sight of both Naruto and Iruka-sensei but not out of earshot.**

Also remembering this particular day, Hinata looked at Naruto sadly. He was always so strong, but no one should have to deal with something like this.

**"Um Iruka-sensei?" Both Iruka and Hinata were surprised at the hesitant tone coming from the normally confident blonde.**

**"Yes, Naruto? What can I help you with?" asked Iruka kindly.**

**"It's it's about our homework assignment."**

Rolling his eyes, Kiba shook his head. "He's not going to cut you some slack, Naruto, just because you're having trouble." The ninja world was not very nice to the weak and stupid after all.

Surprisingly, Naruto did not rise to the bait, but Hinata shot him a look of reproach that was actually kind of scary.

**"The assignment is very straightforward. I know it might not be fun. But if you master these techniques, it'll really be good for you," encouraged Iruka.**

**"It's not that, sensei," Naruto said in a small voice. Hinata had to strain to hear him. "I don't I don't own a cassette player," he said in a rush. At Iruka's look of surprise, he hurried to explain himself. "I don't own a cassette player. And I can't purchase one. The stipend I receive for my school expenses won't cover something like this. I barely have enough for our textbooks and practice kunai and shuriken since those are so expensive."**

With that statement, Kiba felt about two inches tall. He would also probably be two inches tall by the end of this, if the looks Hinata, Shizune and Hana were shooting him meant anything.

**For someone like Hinata who had been trained from a young age to read both body language and tone of voice, the shame of having to admit to money problems was crystal clear.**

Feeling the looks of sympathy from his classmates, Naruto focused on keeping his gaze locked forward.

**"Can I borrow a tape player for the week? Please! I promise I won't damage it!" Naruto asked hopefully.**

Kakashi sincerely doubted that, but out of respect for his student he kept his mouth shut. This was unpleasant enough as it was.

**Outside, Hinata was momentarily stunned to hear that her crush couldn't afford something as simple as a tape player. Then she berated herself for her lack of insight. She knew he was an orphan. Coming from one of the richest clans in Konoha, she'd never had to worry about money. _Still that's not a good excuse!_ Of course, he wouldn't have money! He was an unrecognized orphan with no inheritance and he was too young to work. She was so distracted by this revelation that she completely missed what they were saying next.**

Remembering his shame that day, and her observations of his struggles over the next few years, Hinata forced herself to focus upon the previously missed conversation. She felt bad enough for intruding as it was, even if this happened years ago.

**"Naruto," Iruka said slowly. "What do you mean when you said that your practice kunai and shuriken were expensive?" _Those things are dirt-cheap!_ Practice kunai and shuriken intended for Academy students were usually damaged or blunted and just one step away from being melted down for metal._ I know approximately how much Naruto receives from the Orphan Scholarship Fund. It should be more than enough!_**

**"I buy them from the main weapons shop downtown, by the Hokage Tower. They're cheapest there. Everywhere else is more expensive. I've checked. But they still cost about 2500 yen a pair." Naruto looked down.**

**_2500 yen a pair! That's at least five times more than practice weapons are worth!_**

"What! Why the heck were you getting gouged like that? That's the sort of money that you charge for the high end stuff, not Academy castoffs!" To a weapons specialist like Tenten, such an action was paramount to the strongest blasphemy. After all, if she was charged that much, then how could she use all her precious shiny toys of doom?

Knowing the reason, Naruto stayed silent, although he could still feel the sympathy of the others who knew his secret.

**Naruto was being deliberately overcharged. Iruka knew that the villagers despised Naruto's existence. He was ashamed to admit that, for a while, he had as well. Until Naruto had entered his classroom, he'd never thought much of the blonde, if he thought of him at all. But in the year that he'd been teaching Naruto, he had become fond of the little troublemaker. Naruto was just a boy very much like Iruka had been. Naruto was quickly becoming the little brother he'd never had.**

Smiling sadly, Iruka went over and mussed the blonde's hair affectionately. He was a handful sometimes, but making peace with Naruto was one the best decisions he had ever made.

**Of course, Iruka had always been aware that the villagers were rude and unkind to Naruto. _But to charge over five times what the practice weapons were worth!_ This was the first time he'd really _understood_ in his heart and really saw with uncovered eyes how Naruto was abused and mistreated. Iruka seethed internally with anger. He took deep breath to try and calm himself.**

_But why was he being mistreated? Naruto doesn't even start the pranking stuff for another year or two at this point._ Looking over at the Genin, Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. The loud blonde had always been a bit confusing, but treatment like this was a full blown mystery. If there was one thing that could catch his attention, it was a mystery.

**Naruto, still looking down, missed the dark look that crossed Iruka's face.**

Finally looking up, he mouthed a thank you to his old teacher. Iruka just smiled sadly.

**"Listen, Naruto. I'm sorry I guess I never realized that ninja tools would be so expensive..." Iruka thought furiously How could he help Naruto without injuring his pride? More importantly, without bringing up the injustices Naruto was suffering? That would lead to too many questions he couldn't answer.**

_**I know!**_

**"But as an instructor for the Academy, I receive significant discounts on practice weapons for Academy students," he lied through his teeth. At least the smile on his face was genuine. "So the next time you need to buy them, come to me first, okay? I can help you buy them for much less than what you're paying now."**

**"Really? Wow! Thanks a lot, Iruka-sensei! You're the best!"**

Iruka's smile turned wistful at that moment. His offer had been partially retracted after Naruto had set up a particularly crazy prank in the teacher lounge involving the coffee maker. He still made sure the kid had enough supplies at reasonable prices, but that spark of ensuring he could thrive despite the hardship had been banked for quite some time.

**Naruto's enthusiastic shout brought Hinata out of her self-chastisement.**

**"Unfortunately, that won't help you right now." Iruka sighed. "The academy has a few tape players. But I'm afraid that students aren't allowed to use them without supervision and they aren't allowed out of the classroom."**

**Naruto's shoulders drooped.**

**"The best I can do is to let you stay in here with me during lunch times. You can use the tape player to practice then."**

Hearing this, Sakura felt a pit growing in her stomach. She had always thought that Naruto was annoying and stupid because he had no real talent for being a ninja. But if he had been struggling because of a lack of resources rather than ability, she could hardly blame him, could she?

**Hinata slipped her hand into her pack. Fumbling a little, she felt for the cold, hard plastic of her own personal tape player. In a rare moment of indulgence, she had splurged and purchased a little player for herself so that she could listen to her favorite music whenever she wanted. She could help him! This was her chance! She could give Naruto her player! The Hyuuga weren't the richest clan in Konoha for nothing. There were several other tape players scattered about the estate that she could use for her assignment instead.**

Remembering this moment, Hinata looked down in shame. She knew exactly what would happen next.

**But...**

**If she gave it to him now, then Naruto would _know_ that she'd been _eavesdropping_. What would he think of her? Would he hate her for spying on him? Her heart trembled with indecision. To run forward? Or to run away? What should she do?**

Seeing one of his friends in pain because of him, Naruto shot the older Hinata a worried glance. Judging from her expression, this had actually happened, and he had not even noticed. Now he was the one feeling bad!

**In an alternate time and place, Hinata did not move. She did not offer him her tape player. And she did not find the courage to offer her friendship to Naruto until after their first chunin exams. He would go through the next 5 years of the Academy friendless and lonely while she watched from afar. One small action at the right time, at the right place, would change the world.**

Eyes flashing, Vortex shot them all a grin with too many teeth. "Now, it can truly begin."

**In this time and place, Hinata took one small step. One small significant step. Followed by another, then another..._I won't run away! I won't run away!..._ until she was standing before the two surprised males.**

**"Hinata?" her sensei asked, surprised. But to Hinata, only Naruto existed.**

Swallowing, Hinata felt faint. Could she really be about to...?

**Hinata held her tape player in both hands and bowed quickly, thrusting it in Naruto's general vicinity and almost hitting him in the chest with it in the process. "F-f-for you!" she managed to squeak out.**

Smiling at the effort her student put forward, Kurenai let out a sigh. They were so young back then, and were really quite young now. But every journey had to start somewhere.

**Naruto reached out hesitantly and took the player from her hands. "This...is...for me?"**

**He couldn't contain his disbelief. He could count on one hand all the presents he'd ever received. And now the quietest girl in his class who had never even spoken to him, not even to say "hi" was giving him her own tape player? He didn't understand it not at all.**

Biting his lip, Naruto shook his head. He still did not quite understand it now, but something that Vortex had mentioned earlier began to crawl around his in brain, just out of reach. All he knew for sure was that it left him feeling very, very strange.

**Hinata didn't quite trust her voice. So she settled for just nodding vigorously.**

**"Why?"**

**"Well... I... um... I'm s-s-sorry! I'm s-s-sorry!" she stammered. "I o-o-overheard you s-s-say you d-d-didn't have one...s-s-so... "**

**Her voice trailed off and she shut her eyes in a futile attempt to avoid the revulsion that they _must_ be feeling at her shameful confession. Oh why, oh why did she not run away? Naruto would certainly hate her now. She had just confessed to _deliberately spying on him_! There was no way she could possibly justify her actions. The next several seconds were the longest in her life. She dared a peek at her crush only... instead of anger or disgust which she fully expected she saw wariness.**

Shrugging, Anko nodded her approval. "The kid's definitely got good instincts. After all, he has no idea who she is, and she just magically comes along to solve his problems? Real life doesn't work like that." Ignoring the glare of her friend and the heartbroken gaze of the Hyuga kunoichi, Anko focused on the show. No matter what, this reaction was going to be good!

**"You heard me say I needed a tape player. And you want to give me yours?"**

**"H-h-hai!"**

**He gave her a long searching look. Just as she was about to fidget nervously, the wariness in his face vanished replaced by happiness. Suddenly, she was nearly knocked over by an exuberant blond who had enthusiastically thrown his arms around her. "Thank you!"**

Chuckling, Jiraiya shot his former teammate's student a look of triumph. "Yes, he does have good instincts, doesn't he?"

Tsunade was tempted to knock the Toad Sannin out for that comment, but she was enjoying the cute scene too much to bother.

**All sentient thought ground to a halt. His beautiful eyes the ones she'd spent hours daydreaming about were so close! _Too close!_ Hinata felt her cheeks burning. The sudden rush of blood to her face left her stumbling and on the verge of fainting. Naruto had already overbalanced with his joyful movements. With an extra cheerful shake, he _almost_ sent both of them crashing into the ground.**

Ino and Sakura shared a look. While they both wanted to yell at Naruto for molesting Hinata, that much cuteness was just about worth it. Besides if Sasuke ever did that to either of them their reaction would probably be the same.

For some reason he could not quite figure out, the last Uchiha got a chill down his spine.

**Luckily, Naruto was able to right himself (and her) at the last moment, saving them from an undignified tumble. But in doing so his face came _dangerously_ close to hers. For three full seconds, Hinata could feel his eyelashes brushing against her cheek.**

Feeling the sensation of Naruto's closeness Hinata used every scrap of her remaining will power to remain conscious.

**Naruto let go almost as quickly as he'd tackled her, leaving her head spinning. (Now that there was distance between them, she remembered to _breathe_ again.)**

**"Thanks, Hinata! You're the best!"**

**And with those parting words, Naruto dashed outside. Iruka smiled at the still blushing girl as straightened his desk. Then he, too, left for lunch. Ah... Puppy love.**

Remembering all of the times he had seen the Hyuga heiress notice Naruto over the years, Iruka shook his head at his own naivety.

**Alone in the classroom, Hinata raised her hand to her still tingling cheek.**

**That night, Hinata dreamt of blue eyes and butterfly kisses.**

Blinking, Anko looked around in confusion. "Does anyone else feel the need to brush their teeth due to all the sweetness in the air?" Unsurprisingly, a number of hands jumped up as one.

* * *

Authors Notes

I, once again, must thank Shawny Wong for her permission in using her story, One Small Step. I again take no credit for the text that is highlighted in bold, and highly recommend that you all go over to her site right now and start reading. When it comes to Naruto and Hinata fluff stories, you'll be hard pressed to find a better author.

For your convenience, her profile is linked in my favorite authors.

That being said, I found this experience to be really relaxing. It was nice to voice my own reactions through the characters, and making Vortex a bigger bastard is a lot of fun. Several people have commented that he is a bit of an Ass Hole. That is deliberate. Vortex is only interested in his own entertainment, and does not really care what the Naruto crew gets from this as long as it's entertaining.

Does that mean that I plan on breaking all their brains and leaving them to rot? Of course not! But over the course of the cannon story, each character has done things that they might have regretted. It's their choice if, after learning about the consequences of the situation, they chose to grow from it or allow despair to take them.

To put things in greater perspective, Vortex's favorite saying is "Every power has it's price."

So, if you're still enjoying this experiment, please stay tuned. I have a lot of material to work with and I don't plan on stopping any time soon!

P.S.- To Sage of Seals - Yes, your character could probably beat my character in a straight up fight. What makes you think that I would allow my character to give your character one of those?


	3. Piercing the Stone:OSS Chapter 2

No I don't own Naruto. I also don't claim credit for other author's work, so don't forget that anything in **bold** was written by Shawny Wong!

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter Three

Piercing the Stone

**Universal Coordinates - 4139575/2 **  
**Universal Coordinator - Shawny Wong **  
**Universal Identification - One Small Step **  
**Time Stamp - Eskimo Kiss**

* * *

Blinking, Anko looked around in confusion. "Did anyone else notice that most of that dialogue happened when people weren't moving their lips?" Looking at each other, the ninja seemed to collectively jump. Now that the kunoichi mentioned it, most of that seemed to be in Hinata, Naruto or Iruka's mind's. What the heck was going on here?

Sitting on his throne of empty air, Vortex started to chuckle once again. "What part of my previous explanation did you not understand? If it's that confusing I guess I'll try to speak more clearly. What you felt was their impressions and emotions, but I bet if everyone compared notes, you'd all get different dialogue. The only one who should have gotten it right was the focus of the emotions, otherwise known as Hinata, Naruto, and Iruka. Everyone else's minds formed your own interpretation of their mental and emotional states. It was hardly like I activated the telepathy option." Hearing that, Hinata felt somewhat exposed.

Snapping his fingers, the so called Laughing Magician shifted their environment once again. "Now that the seed of change has been planted, it needs a bit of time to properly grow. We'll fast forward a bit on the time line, and start again." Grumbling, the assorted ninja sat through the once again changing landscape while waiting for the next stage of this demented game. Yet, as suddenly as it had started, the shift stopped, leaving them in front of the still young Naruto.

* * *

**Hinata was the strangest girl he'd ever met. He never noticed her before, but ever since that day the day she gave him her tape player he couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. She was nothing like the other girls in his class. The other girls were always together in groups, or in pairs as if they needed the support of numbers. Hinata was always alone. The other girls loved to gossip and chatter and giggle. Hinata rarely spoke. (He'd never heard her laugh either, but he'd caught her smiling once or twice.) The other girls were loud and bossy, especially that Ino. Hinata was quiet and timid.**

Hearing his mental description of the Hyuga kunoichi, Naruto felt his face flush red. Sure, everything the kid version of him was saying was true, but that did not mean that Hinata had no good points. You just actually had to talk with her for a little bit to find them.

**Then there was her physical appearance. Most girls wore bright colors and things to make them look pretty. Sakura wore bright red. Ino wore bright purple. Hinata, on the other hand, wore an unflattering plain beige jacket that looked too big for her. And what was wrong with her eyes? They were such a weird color. Not quite silver. Not quite white. Not quite lavender. Weird. But the strangest thing about her eyes was the lack of pupils. Was it a birth defect maybe? (Naruto would not learn about bloodlines and related doujutsu until his third year a the Academy.) She looked like she was blind, but _obviously_ she could see just fine.**

Shifting uncomfortably, Hinata refused to look at anyone. Her appearance had always been something she had been embarrassed by, from her strange eyes to her weak frame. Being compared to beautiful girls like Ino and Sakura only made her feel that much worse.

**She was definitely the strangest girl he ever met. And why had she had given him a gift?**

**Aside from the Sandaime Hokage, no one had ever given Naruto anything just because. There was always a price. Always. He never received birthday presents, Christmas presents, or any kind of presents. Why had she given him her tape player? The question burned. Was she playing a prank on him? The day after, he almost expected her to yell, "Just kidding! I want my tape player back." Or even worse, for her to accuse him of stealing it. (It wouldn't be the first time he was accused of a theft he hadn't committed.) But... No... That couldn't be right. Iruka-sensei was there when she gave it to him. If she were going to trick him like that, then she would have waited until there were no witnesses.**

Getting the gist of his Godsons mental rant, Jiraiya swallowed thickly. He had known that devoting all his time to his spy network would have consequences, but to have the boy confused by a simple present or expecting a trick? Suddenly, the arguments for his actions seemed much hollower.

**Two weeks had gone by since that day. By now, he was sure it wasn't a prank, or _something_ would have happened already. He caught her looking at him more than once not with cold, hateful eyes the way the older villagers looked at him. Did she think he was funny looking? But then, every time tried to catch her eye or get her attention, she would look away. It was almost like she was trying to avoid him. Was she afraid of him? Should he talk to her?**

**He didn't understand her at all.**

Asuma shook his head in amusement. Men decades older than the blonde child had attempted to understand women, and failed spectacularly. The earlier he realized this truth, the better off he would be.

As if sensing his train of thought, Kurenai took that opportunity to attempt a jab to his ribs, only to have the blow fail to make contact.

**Well, whatever her reasons were...Naruto was grateful for the tape player.**

Rubbing her eyes in exasperation, Sakura shot her teammate a look. "Of course, after cutting her apart like that, the one thing you care about is the stupid tape player."

Holding his hands in supplication, Naruto attempted to defend himself. "Well, it's not like I haven't been set up to take the fall before. One time, an Academy instructor offered to help me learn some awesome new jutsu. I ended up waiting on the roof of the Academy for hours, only to get kicked out by the ANBU for trespassing. Then the bastard had the balls to give me detention for a month, claiming I lied."

Iruka hid a wince. He had heard rumors about that, but thought that Naruto was just making excuses after getting caught preparing for a prank.

**He used it to practice those memory retention techniques Iruka taught them. Again, and again, and again. He really mastered them! Then he started to use them during Iruka's lessons. He treated Iruka's lecture like another memory exercise. At first, he did it because he was simply bored in class and doing memory exercises to Iruka's lecture made the class go by faster. He quickly discovered the first side benefit of doing this: no more flying erasers aimed at his head (because he was _actually paying attention_)!**

Gaping, Iruka turned deathly pale. "Naruto...was actually paying attention in class? That's one of the official signs of the Apocalypse!"

Frowning, the blonde turned to bitch his old teacher out, only to find most of the older ninja from Konoha on their knees and praying. -

**He didn't discover the second side benefit until Iruka posted the results of their last exam. To his great surprise (and everyone else's), he _aced_ the last exam! It was the first time he had ever done something well - _better than well_ - instead of coming in dead last. Iruka-sensei had even congratulated him before the entire class. Naruto swelled with pride just remembering it. Of course, he wasn't memorizing _whole_ lectures. But using the memory tricks, he could at least memorize the important points of the lectures quickly. Combine that with _actually paying attention_ and Naruto was well on his way to academic success.**

That statement made the prayers grow louder, and encouraged Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade to join in. Several of the assorted Genin seemed tempted to begin as well.

* * *

**Hinata was genuinely happy. When Naruto did so spectacularly on their last exam, she was so proud of him! She imagined she felt a bit like a proud parent would towards their baby's first steps. She was just bursting with pride! She had always known that Naruto was smart. It upset her whenever the other kids called him "stupid" or "dead last." To have her belief vindicated felt... satisfying.**

Looking up, Hinata could not help her own smile of happiness. Everyone discounted Naruto because of his energy and love of pranks, but few bothered to realize just how much work he put into them. Seeing it from beginning to end was quite the production.

**And she was proud of herself. It was such an alien concept - being proud of herself - that it took several days for her to correctly identify the emotion. She, the Hyuuga failure, had done something _right_, for once. She had helped Naruto-kun! And he'd called her "the best!" Of course, it was just an expression and he didn't really mean she was actually "the best." (She was a weakling. How could she possibly be "the best" at anything?) But he had been happy. She had been the one to make him happy with her gift. For someone like her, it was a major accomplishment almost a minor miracle. She wanted to approach him again to talk... to be his friend. But... What if he didn't want to talk to her? What if he rejected her?**

Sighing, Kurenai looked at her student sadly. Sometimes, it seemed that it was always one step forward, two steps back with the girl.

**Hinata sighed. What little courage she'd found to approach him that day was lost again.**

Shooting a quick look at Naruto, Hinata made a vow to herself. She could not afford to lose her nerve so easily if she was ever going to make Naruto truly acknowledge her.

* * *

**"Next year, we will be introducing the basics of ninjutsu," Iruka smiled, as he noticed nearly every student sit up a little bit straighter. (Shikamaru was still slumped in his seat.) Naruto in particular was almost bouncing in his seat with excitement. Ninjutsu was the calling card of shinobi. The first two years of the Academy were focused on basic taijutsu, basic weaponry, and _non-combat_ ninja techniques (including history of the Shinobi Nations, basic strategy, and memory retention techniques) much to Naruto's disappointment. To hear the word "ninjutsu" before third year was always cause for excitement.**

Scoffing, Sasuke wondered why they had to follow such a pathetic curriculum anyways. People like that man and Kakashi mastered the essentials within a year. Others should be given the same shot.

Then he remembered that his Sensei was a lazy pervert and that man was a monster in human skin, and wondered if it was worth it...if only for a second.

**"But before we get to that, we need to learn chakra theory and master the twelve fundamental hand seals used for manipulating chakra. What is chakra?" Iruka wrote the word on the blackboard as he asked the question. He turned back to the class. "Chakra is the combination of mental, physical, and spiritual energies in the body. Chakra is essential to life. Without it we would die. Chakra is also the essential ingredient to performing any shinobi jutsu.**

Shaking his head, Naruto gave his old teacher an annoyed gaze. "I liked it better when Sakura-chan explained it back in Wave Country."

Slapping his forehead, Iruka returned the gaze. "Of course you did. Most teenage boys pay more attention to girls then to their wise and all knowing instructors."

**"Hand seals are the second ingredient. Hand seals are used to change the chakra within your body into a jutsu. To perform a jutsu, you first summon chakra, then transform it into a jutsu using a hand seal or a series of hand seals. In an actual fight, you will have to form hand seals while evading enemy attacks, so being able to make hand seals quickly and accurately is _critical_. The faster you can do the hand seals, the faster you can pull off a jutsu. And in a real fight, fractions of a second can mean the difference between life and death. Before you leave the Academy, performing hand seals quickly should be as natural to you as breathing.**

Quirking an eyebrow, Shino turned to their old teacher. "That may be true, but moving beyond a need for hand seals makes you a much more effective ninja."

Feeling a headache coming on, Iruka shot the Aburame a glare. "You've got to walk before you run."

**"First we will work on accuracy. Then we will work on speed. Now, I'm going to demonstrate the twelve fundamental hand seals. The trick to remembering them is to say the name aloud while forming the seal with your hands. Practice this until your fingers can move instinctively."**

**Iruka went through hand seals, calling out the names as he demonstrated them. He held each seal for several seconds, so that his students could get a good look at it, before moving on to the next one.**

**"Rat."**

**"Dragon."**

**"Monkey."**

**"Ox."**

**"Snake."**

**"Bird."**

**"Tiger."**

**"Horse."**

**"Dog."**

**"Hare."**

**"Ram."**

**"Boar."**

Blinking, Naruto turned to Jiraiya. "Hey Ero-sennin, why do we call handsigns stuff like Dog or Boar anyways? Why not have a water sign, or an explosion sign?" Surprised by the insightful question, the others stayed silent, their own curiosity peaked.

Rubbing his chin, the Sannin hummed in concentration. "Well, the use of chakra was supposed to have been initiated by the Six Paths Sage. He created things like ninjutsu out of a combination of different religions and cultures he was exposed to in his quest for enlightenment. The hand signs were inspired, if you believe the legends, by a culture who named their years on a never ending cycle called the Zodiac. They believed that people born on a particular year would have certain traits and compatibility to those born in other years. Something about that cycle impressed the Sage, and he took the names of the Zodiac to indicate the never ending cycle of the hand signs and their relationships to one another."

Looking up, Jiraiya had to fight the urge to pout at the numerous glazed looks in his audiences eyes. He settled for taking a half hearted swipe at Naruto's skull, making a comment about how people who asked questions should at least pay attention when answered. Unable to feel a thing, the blonde continued to watch the scene before him.

**The next hour was spent going around the classroom. Iruka had each student form the hand seals for him. He gently corrected fingers and hand positions as he went along. The key to learning hand seals was repetition but all the repetition in the world was no good if the seal was formed incorrectly! So Iruka didn't move on until he was certain the student knew the correct finger positions. Doing this didn't actually take much time. A majority of the students about 70 percent, Iruka guessed came from ninja backgrounds, where one or both parents were ninja. Some even came from prominent ninja clans, like the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. Those students already knew the twelve hand signs and even had decent speed for Academy students.**

Smirking, Neji crossed his arms over a puffed up chest. "Indeed, the Hyuga clan requires mastery of all the hand signs before the age of three." Hearing his tone, Tenten tried to knock some of the smugness out of her teammate, only for the attempt to prove useless.

**Naruto was not one of those students. Iruka dedicated a good ten minutes to helping him with his hands. When class let out for lunch, Naruto was cornered by Kenta and Jirou. The two of them came from minor ninja families and took great joy in rubbing Naruto's failures in his face.**

Feeling his fingernails biting into his hand, the blonde forced himself to remember what happened to the two jerks after the graduation test. Last he had heard, Kenta was pulled from the Academy in shame while Jirou was supposedly in remedial lessons somewhere. That did not mean their upcoming taunts did not still sting.

**"Hey, dead last! How are you going to be Hokage if you have to take remedial lessons from Iruka-sensei?" Kenta laughed.**

**"'I'm going to be Hokage!'" mocked Jirou. "You're so slow, I can finish all twelve hand seals before you can even do one. I have a better chance of becoming Hokage than you do."**

Thinking back to the last Uzumaki to strive for Hokage, Jiraiya snorted. These brats really had no idea what they were messing with.

**"I am going to be Hokage!" Naruto shot back. "You won't be faster than me for long. Once I get some practice, I bet I can finish all twelve hand seals before you can!"**

Making one of his infamous shining smiles of doom, Gai flashed Naruto a thumbs up. "Yosh, that's the way to prove your determination!"

**"Yeah, right! Not in a million years!"**

**"Have fun with your remedial lessons! Loser!"**

At that point, Naruto decided that the two old school bullies needed a reminder why you did not mess with the village's number one prankster.

**With one last shove, the boys ran off to enjoy the rest of their lunch break. Behind a corner, Hinata had witnessed the entire confrontation. Naruto sat down and started to slowly practice his hand seals. His eyes burned with determination. She heard him mutter.**

**"I am going to be Hokage. I am going to be faster. I'll be the fastest in the class. I won't give up!" Then in a loud voice, "Monkey!"**

_**Good luck, Naruto-kun. I know you can do it.**_

Feeling Hinata's belief in his eventual success, Naruto fought back another blush. While having people stick up for him was a new thing, it was still rather nice.

* * *

**A few days later, Naruto had memorized all the hand seals. But his speed still needed work a lot of work. He didn't understand it. No matter how many hours he practiced, he was still slower than most of his classmates even the ones from non-ninja families, like Sakura. _I'll ask Iruka-sensei today after class. Maybe there's something I'm missing. Iruka-sensei will help me._**

Frowning, Iruka wondered why Naruto had not sought him out about this issue in their universe. Then he remembered that the blonde had been serving a month long detention after the prank following the memorization exam and shut his mouth with a blush.

**"Iruka-sensei?"**

**Iruka looked up from grading papers to see Naruto hovering at the door of his office. "Yes, Naruto?"**

**"Can you give me any tips to help me get faster at making hand seals? I've been practicing really hard, but for some reason I'm still the slowest person in the class!"**

Nodding his agreement, Kakashi shot his student a look. While the blonde had proven his determination and focus many times by now, somehow he always seemed to fall short on the simplest things. His lack of hand seal speed had been one of the reasons he had not shown the blonde any new techniques, after all.

**"Hmm Have a seat." Iruka gestured at the chair in front of his desk and waited for Naruto to get comfortable. "How many hours a day are you practicing them?"**

**"At least, three hours a day. Sometimes five."**

Practically vibrating in excitement, Lee followed his mentor's example and shot the blonde a smile. "Now that is how a student of hard work operates!"

**Iruka fought to keep the surprise from his face. That was above and beyond what he expected from most students. Naruto was certainly tenacious. But if that was true - and he had no reason to lie - then Naruto should be one of the fastest in the class. So why wasn't he? Unless... Iruka had never seen Naruto play ninja games with the other children. Could it be...**

Blinking, Kiba cocked his head to the side. He had to have misunderstood that.

**"I'm glad you're working so hard, Naruto. It is strange. With that much practice you really should be much faster."**

**"Then why am I not? Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong, Iruka-sensei?"**

"Yeah, show me how to fix this problem already!" Naruto's frustration was thick enough to cut with a kunai.

Frowning, Tsunade turned to a now fidgeting Kakashi. "You know, if this is accurate, you should have been able to help Naruto by now. How exactly have you attempted to address this issue?"

At that point, the Jonin was thrilled that no one could actually harm another in this weird place.

**"You're not doing anything wrong." Iruka hesitated. He really didn't want to bring up Naruto's isolation from the other children. But if he were right about this, then it would make a lot of sense. "Naruto... Have you ever played Cat's Cradle?"**

Blinking, Chouji looked at the scene in disbelief. "Huh, what does a kid's game have to do with being a ninja?"

Remembering the A-rank ninjutsu that required a person to play with balloons, the blonde Konoha Genin bit back a groan. "With my luck, it's probably a whole damn lot."

**"You mean that string game?" Naruto shook his head, looking confused. "No. What does that have to do with anything?"**

**"Have you ever wondered why Cat's Cradle is such a popular children's game in Konoha?" Iruka slipped into lecture mode. "It's not a very popular game in most places, except the Hidden Villages. Cat's Cradle isn't just a children's game for fun and passing time. It's actually an early training exercise. Cat's Cradle develops coordination and strengthens the muscles in your fingers and hands. It makes your fingers more nimble and flexible and improves manual dexterity. Most ninja parents teach their children to play the game before they can walk. Children from civilian families will play it, too. Even if their parents don't teach it to them, they learn by playing with other kids. We do live in a ninja village, after all.**

Snorting, Kankurou decided to break the Suna team's silence. "Playing Cat's cradle to train your fingers? Wow, you guys must love to be so damned easygoing in Konoha."

Bristling at the comment, Naruto turned on the puppeteer. "What the heck is that supposed to mean? Don't tell me that you're too good to play a game to get stronger."

Throwing her brother a look, Temari broke up the fight before it began. "Cloth is scarce in Suna, so using something as valuable as string for a child's game is seen as the height of frivolity. Sure most of the noble ninja clans know Cat's Cradle, but the rank and file of our village would never develop something so vital in such a manner."

Blinking, the blonde nodded his understanding. "Ok, I guess that makes sense. So what do you use anyway?"

Smirking, the Kunoichi removed a metal disk from a pocket before expertly shifting it between her fingers in a dazzling display of dexterity. "Coin tricks are simpler, easier to learn, and metal won't wear out like string. A skilled practitioner can keep three coins of different weights and sizes moving in each hand at the same time."

Distracted by the shiny motion of Temari's fingers, the Genin let out a low whistle. That was much cooler than playing with string! -

**"Think of it like lifting weights and running laps for taijutsu. Even if you're taijutsu forms and stances are perfect, without lifting weights and running laps, you'll never be a taijutsu master. Cat's Cradle is like physical conditioning for hand seals the same way weights and laps are physical conditioning for taijutsu. It's not part of the curriculum because most children have already learned it before the enter the Academy."**

**"None of the other kids would play with me. Not even when I asked." Naruto said softly.**

Remembering those days of solitude, Naruto bit back a wince. Somehow, he just knew the next few minutes were going to be uncomfortable.

**Iruka winced. It was exactly as he'd thought. Naruto was just a kid. He shouldn't be treated like this. _Sometimes, I hate being right_. Iruka dug around his desk drawers. Now where is it? Ah! There it is.**

**"That's all right, Naruto." Iruka smiled and held out a red string. He knotted the ends together to form a loop. "Would you like to learn how to play right now?"**

Smiling at the scene, Iruka wished with all his heart that things had actually happened like that.

* * *

**Naruto stuffed the red string into his pocket as he stepped outside the Academy. Class was over for the day, but there were still a lot of kids hanging out on the premises. Some kids (like Kiba) stayed behind for extra training and after school sparring with other kids. Some kids (like Sakura and Ino) stayed just to gossip and hang out with their friends. Others (like Shikamaru) stayed to avoid chores at home. (Although Naruto did not know this, Hinata stayed behind for two reasons: to avoid her family and to catch an extra glimpse of _him_.)**

Blinking at that tidbit, Naruto shot another look at the shy Hyuga.

**Naruto thought back to his meeting with Iruka. Iruka had explained that there were two different versions of Cat's Cradle: a civilian version and a ninja version. The ninja version had about thirty extra steps and was more complex. Also, the ninja version had an advanced level with two strings and required three players. After playing several rounds of Cat's Cradle (the ninja version, of course), Iruka had told him to find a friend to play it with.**

_**Flashback**_

_**"I think you've got the hang of it, Naruto. Keep practicing, okay? If you can find a friend to play this with, come back here and I'll teach you to play the advanced level of Cat's Cradle, since we'll need three people for that. The three-player version is actually quite challenging and fun. The two strings together form intricate designs and a single mistake can tangle you in knots very quickly!"**_

_**/Flashback**_

Remembering his attempts at making friends in the Academy, Naruto knew that this was going to royally suck.

**Naruto frowned. Find a friend to play this with? Yeah, right. No one had ever played with him before. He didn't see how that was going to change anytime soon. But he really wanted to play again. It had been fun, playing with Iruka-sensei. He wanted to play it again, and not just because it would help his speed with hand seals. Unfortunately, he didn't think the other kids would play with him. _I won't give up before I try. I'll ask around anyways._**

Slapping his forehead, Shikamaru groaned. He just KNEW that this was going to be troublesome with a capital T.

* * *

**"No way, man! Why would I want to play a baby game with you?" asked Kiba. He grinned, fangs showing, "Want to spar instead? I'll go easy on you."**

Blushing, the Inuzuka shrunk down into his seat. "It's not like I knew it was a training tool for hand signs either."

* * *

**"What are you, three? That's such a boring game." Ino flounced away.**

Frowning, the blonde kunoichi shot a small glare at her younger self. "Real kunoichi don't flounce."

* * *

**"Eww Get away from me! You probably have cooties!" Sakura ran to rejoin Ino**.

Skin tone shifting to match her hair, Sakura shot a sympathetic look at her teammate. She really had been a bit of a brat back then.

* * *

**"Cat's Cradle? It's so troublesome," drawled Shikamaru, lying on his back. "I just want to watch the clouds and take a nap. Ask me some other time."**

Snorting, every single Genin looked at the Nara, knowing that he still would probably say the same thing these days, foreknowledge or no.

* * *

**Hinata wavered with indecision. She'd heard Naruto asking around for a partner to play Cat's Cradle with. She didn't understand why he wanted to play a children's game. But if he wanted to play, she would play! She wanted desperately to go up to him and volunteer to be his partner. But she just couldn't! That was much too forward for the timid girl. If only he would ask her. _Ask me, please! I'm here._ He didn't see her. She saw him turn to leave._ Ask me! Please!_ She took one small step forward.**

Shaking her head, the Hyuga kunoichi wondered if it was really that simple. Every change seemed so minor by themselves, but when taken together they had such an impact!

**Naruto growled in frustration. He'd been shot down, not once, not twice, but _four_ times! _Four!_ He might as well go home. There was no one else he could ask. A small sound and a flash of beige at the corner of his eye caught his attention. _What was that? I could have sworn... Wait! Is that Hinata_?**

Smiling, the blonde sat back and relaxed. It looked like he was actually going to do something right this time.

**In an alternate time and place, Naruto never noticed Hinata standing there, so he never thought to ask her - and he never found a partner for Cat's Cradle. Instead, Naruto worked hard to improve his speed little by little through sheer repetition on his own - and with a few more rounds of Cat's Cradle with Iruka-sensei. (However, Iruka had other responsibilities and couldn't dedicate a great deal of time for one student, no matter how fond he was of Naruto.) He would remain in the bottom quartile of the class - and never reach his full potential. One small action at the right time, at the right place, would change the world.**

Tsunade and Jiraiya shot each other a look. While they liked the blonde, was he really going to have that much of an impact?

**In _this_ time and place, Naruto had just spent two weeks wondering about Hinata and watching her, so he _noticed her_ standing there - and thus, thought to ask her. Her small act of kindness gave him hope. Here was a person who didn't hate him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given her tape player to him. Dare he? Should he risk being shot down yet again? _I'll ask her._ _She might say "no" like all the rest, but she might say "yes." Maybe... She's so strange Normal people don't like me. She's not normal at all. She's different so maybe she'll be my friend?_**

Fisting her hands, Hinata prayed that it would all work out.

**"Hinata, right?" Naruto shuffled his feet a little. "Would you I mean I know it's kind of stupid, but would you like to play Cat's Cradle with me?"**

**"H-h-hai!"**

**"Really? That's** **awesome! Come on!"**

Looking at the two kids before her, Tenten had to fight the urge to coo at how cute they looked. She had an image to maintain after all!

**Naruto was nervous as they sat on the front steps of the Academy to play. No. Scratch that. He was beyond nervous. He was about to have a full-blown panic attack. The training that Cat's Cradle was supposed to give him was irrelevant. That was neither here nor there. He almost couldn't believe she'd said "yes." It was the first time anyone his age agreed to play with him. Playing together was the first step to making friends, right? Friends played together. This was his chance! If he made a good enough impression... then maybe she'd agree to play with him again. That could lead to real _friendship_ - something he'd only dreamed about.**

Biting his lip, Naruto unknowingly joined Hinata in her prayers.

_**I can't mess this up! I have to do this right!**_

**Naturally, the moment he decided not to mess up, he ruined it. Naruto was so flustered that it didn't take more than a few steps into Cat's Cradle - the ninja version, of course - before the red string was one giant knot. He looked down at it in dismay. Hinata gently removed the string from his hands and worked on straightening the string out.**

**"It's o-o-okay, Naruto-kun. W-w-would you like t-t-to try again?"**

Shooting his own Hinata a thankful grin, the blonde was rewarded with a blush and returned smile.

**Naruto could only nod. He looped the string twice around his fingers and held his hands out to try again.**

**Three giant knots later, disaster struck. Somehow - he didn't know how - somehow he managed to tangle the string around both their hands inadvertently, tying their hands together. Now they were stuck. Naruto swore internally. _Idiot! I'm such an idiot. My big chance to make a friend, and I go and ruin it. She'll never play with me again..._ He glanced at his partner only to see that her face was bright red. _She was nice to me and now she's angry. Why can't I do anything right?_**

Blinking, Hinata was honestly shocked that Naruto's rant seemed to match one of her own. However, instead of feeling let down by her inspiration, the young girl felt happy that they had that much more in common.

**"I'm sorry," he said somberly without his usual volume. "I'm sorry I'm such a horrible player. I'm sorry I made you angry. Damn it! I really messed up. I'm always messing up. No wonder nobody wants to be friends with me. Heck, I wouldn't want to be friends with me, either."**

**Hinata - who was blushing and _not_ red-faced with anger - was startled by the misery on his face and the self-loathing in his voice. She rushed to reassure him - and for the first time, spoke straight from the heart, without thinking. "No! I'm not m-m-mad. I want to be your friend."**

**"Do you mean it?" Naruto looked at her in wonder.**

**"H-h-hai."**

Fighting to remain stoic, Gaara looked on in wonder. If only someone from Suna had made such a step for him, things could have been so much better.

**"You want to be my friend?" he asked again, just to be sure. When she nodded, pure joy erupted within him. The rush made him giddy. His heart felt strangely full. And for reasons he couldn't explain, he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. She had accepted all his mistakes without derision. She wasn't angry. She accepted him as he was.**

**He had a friend!**

Blinking rapidly, Naruto refused to acknowledge the gathering moisture in his eyes, but those around him noticed and kept their silence.

**"Thank you," he whispered at last.**

**Had she done the right thing? Hinata wondered. She had quickly realized that he was a beginner at Cat's Cradle, but she didn't mind. Except Naruto had looked so upset. And the more upset he got, the more mistakes he made - which only made him more upset. Hinata was intimately familiar with those feelings. So she simply helped correct his mistakes. When their hands were tied together, she could only blush. And then... he was so hurt and miserable. The desperate need to comfort him made her bold; she would never have spoken so recklessly and impulsively otherwise. Now although there was a sheen of tears in his eyes, his joy was unmistakable.**

**Had she done the right thing? Yes.**

**Naruto smiled at her.**

**Hinata smiled back.**

Anko really wanted to unleash a snarky comment at this point, but something told her that a lynching would soon follow such an action.

**"All right!" Naruto was back to his confident, excitable self. "Let's go find Iruka-sensei to help us get untied. Then we can play again! I'll get it this time for sure!"**

**Naruto jumped to his feet. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to account for the law of inertia - which states: an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. When Naruto leapt to his feet, he became a moving object that wanted to keep moving. Hinata, who was quite comfortable where she was, became the stationary object that wanted to stay still. Unfortunately, the stationary object and the moving object were still tied together. The result was painful collision. Hinata was forcibly pulled up from a sitting position, while Naruto's upward leap was forcibly reversed; he was jerked backwards. Their heads collided with a resounding CRACK!**

Shaking her head, Hana smirked at the two blushing Genin. "I really hope that you're more careful these days. That sort of thing can get you or your teammates killed in the field."

**Dazed and disoriented, Hinata opened her eyes and promptly forgot about the pain in her head. She had landed on top of Naruto with their hands trapped between their chests. More importantly, they were face-to-face and so close _that their noses were touching_! And all she could see were blue eyes. Hinata instantly turned the color of a ripe tomato. It was too much for the poor girl. _Oh no! I'm going to faint!_**

Smiling at her already red student, Kurenai whispered soft platitudes. It was rather funny, but the poor girl felt self conscious enough as it was.

**When Iruka arrived on the scene a few minutes later, he found a Naruto sitting on the steps with an unconscious Hinata lying beside him. Her head was pillowed on his lap. Their hands were still tied together by red string. Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what happened here?"**

Smiling, Iruka sighed. "No, I probably don't."

**"Ah! Iruka-sensei! Hinata and I were playing Cat's Cradle and we got stuck," Naruto said in embarrassment. "When I jumped up to find you, I knocked our heads together. I think I must have hit her head too hard because Hinata passed out. Can you help us out?"**

Sighing, Ino shot her old rival a look. "Quite the observant teammate you've got there forehead."

Covering her eyes, Sakura groaned. "Not a word, Ino-pig."

* * *

**That night, Hinata fell asleep with a smile on her face. She the weakest Hyuuga had done it again: something right. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as big a failure as she thought. Maybe she was able to change a little bit. Hinata dreamt of blue eyes and Eskimo kisses.**

Absorbing the sensation of happiness her analogue radiated, Hinata smiled softly at her own sleeping figure.

* * *

Authors Notes

I'm sorry for the delay in production, but too many things lumped together over the last two weeks. I am literally a week away from finishing one of my courses, and coupled with a couple of trips and the like, free time went bye-bye.

Anyways, I'm glad people are (mostly) happy with this story so far. I will admit that I tried to find the best authors I could, and that some people might disagree with my choices. But everyone has their favorites and as such this is just my attempt to share my own.

Oh, and yes we will be continuing One Small Step for a few chapters, although once my classes end I hope to finish up fairly quickly.

Now then, the biggest bit of confusion that I ve had to deal with so far is how the characters are interpreting the information that is not spoken aloud. Honestly, that was the biggest issue I had to deal with when shifting the presentation into a three dimensional experience instead of reading words off a page. So I decided on the whispering in the back of the skull idea. I know that Vortex tried to explain it in the story, but he s rather high handed with his explanations. So I ll try to break it down for you.

Let s take the following line from earlier in the story.

**Unless Iruka had never seen Naruto play ninja games with the other children. Could it be...**

Now, when this line was presented, Iruka would have sort of heard it whispered in the back of his mind. He would assume that it was just his impression based upon observing his analogues actions and interactions with Naruto s younger analogue. It s mostly subliminal and allows a greater understanding of the situation.

However, since Iruka is the one who originally generated the thought, he is the only one who would get a perfect interpretation of the thought in the first place. So when Kiba experienced the same thing, it came out something like this

**Naruto didn t play with kids, he didn t think, right?**

While technically correct, it's different enough to be confusing. But that's just how Kiba s brain interpreted the thought, because he thinks in a different fashion than Iruka.

I hope that helps!


	4. Karma isn't always a bitch:OSS Chapter 3

No I don't own Naruto, which is a shame because things are finally reaching a climax there after a decade of waiting! :)  
Oh, and remember that I don't claim credit for the work highlighted in bold. If I miss a section Shawny I apologize, but I can only do my best.

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter Four

Karma isn't always a bitch

**Universal Coordinates - 4139575/3 **  
**Universal Coordinator - Shawny Wong **  
**Universal Identification - One Small Step **  
**Time Stamp - Indirect Kiss**

* * *

Sighing, Kurenai shook her head. As touching as the scene had been, she felt obligated to speak her mind. The safety of her student's self esteem warranted no less. "Despite being completely adorable, I cannot say that I completely approve. A part of me is almost glad this didn't happen."

Blinking from where she had been happily observing her sleeping analogue, Hinata glanced at her sensei in shock. "What do you mean, Kurenai-sensei? We both look so much happier! I was able to help Naruto-kun, and finally have a friend I can count on. He gets a friend and someone to believe in him. What is so wrong with that?" The tears in her voice were painful, but Kurenai had not become a Jonin by taking the easy way out. This was for Hinata s own good after all.

Matching her student's look with one of her own, the Jonin's tone was unwavering. "Hinata, while I admit that you seem happier, the only one who has benefited from this relationship so far has been Naruto. While I don't have anything against the boy, a friendship where one party constantly takes without giving anything in return is unhealthy. I don't blame him for his attitude, but you have to admit that it would be very easy for your younger incarnation to get into the habit of working only for his happiness and forgoing her own." They were young and cute, but bad habits had to start somewhere. She would not be a good Sensei if she did not try to make that clear, despite being a painful lesson to learn.

Her musing was interrupted by clapping that somehow seemed mocking and impressed all at once. "Really now, Kurenai-sensei, you are such a pessimist. Do you really think that someone like Naruto would become an abusive friend? That idiot cares for his precious people way too much to allow something like that to happen. In fact, I don't think you could have insulted him more than you did with that little spiel." Ignoring Vortex's tone, the red eyes Jonin looked over at the blonde before suppressing a wince. Naruto was clearly hurt at her words, but holding himself back from launching a pointless attack. Somehow that fact just made her feel worse.

Chuckling at her expression, Vortex leaned back in his chair. "Not to say that your concerns lack any possible grounding in reality. Such relationships do tend to develop across the various dimensions, but they are by far the exception not the rule. When properly motivated, Uzumaki Naruto would do anything out of friendship, and this is no exception. But since you are such a cynic, why don't we have a look at the karma you are so desperate to see?" Unwavering in her purpose, Kurenai nodded her assent even as the scene shifted once again.

* * *

**Life was good for Uzumaki Naruto. For once in his miserable life, things were going his way. He and Hinata had spent hours playing Cat's Cradle every day after class. After his nerves settled, Naruto was able to concentrate on the game. He mastered it quickly. (To Hinata's secret disappointment, their hands did _not_ get entangled again.) They had even played a few rounds of the advanced level of Cat's Cradle with Iruka-sensei! In addition to the game, Naruto continued to practice hand seals on his own for several hours every night. Within a month his speed had dramatically improved. Within two, he had lived up to his boast of being the fastest at forming hand seals in the class.**

Blinking, Uchiha Sasuke tried to understand how playing a child's game had made the blonde idiot so much stronger. Unfortunately, his mind could not understand the logic, and filed the fact in the back of his skull with all other pieces of suppressed information.

Which was a shame because if he had been a little more open with himself regaining the Sharingan probably would not have involved becoming a pin cushion.

**Naruto grinned. Just yesterday Iruka-sensei had congratulated him on his progress in front of the whole class! (Naruto had managed to tie with one Uchiha Sasuke - who was _not_ pleased about sharing his pedestal.) For the first time in his life, Naruto was the center of admiration (albeit grudging admiration) among his classmates. Iruka-sensei was proud of him, too! The positive attention felt..._absolutely amazing_! He'd never been able to gain any sort of positive attention before. The best he'd been able to get was negative attention, as the butt of jokes or in the form scolding from Iruka-sensei for pulling pranks in class. It hadn't mattered though. The negative attention kept his loneliness at bay and kept the cold, hateful eyes of the villagers from erasing his existence. For a little while, at least, the pain would diminish. Becoming a clown and a prankster wasn't so bad if it meant someone would really _see_ him really look at him and know that he was _alive_.**

Remembering his own past, Iruka cursed himself for a fool. Despite his earlier joke about Naruto doing well being a sign of the Apocalypse, he had always hoped that the boy would succeed. Yet, to discover he could have done it years ago with just a little effort was as much a shock as it was embarrassing.

**Naruto felt wonderful! Praise from Iruka, (grudging) respect from his classmates, and gentle support from Hinata; it warmed his soul. Nothing could be better! Naruto, who craved any attention whether it was positive or negative, was simply addicted. Even after a full day, the warmth lingered. It formed an invisible barrier between him and the pain of loneliness and even muted the nasty stares of the villagers.  
**  
Frowning, Hinata forced herself not to poke her fingers together in embarrassment. As much as she had professed her admiration of Naruto, to discover that a little courage on her part could have helped the boy so much was humbling in the extreme.

**In an alternate time and place, Naruto became a clown and a prankster because no matter how hard he tried or how hard he worked, he was still the dead last at the Academy. (He was not stupid. He just wasn't given the tools to succeed.) Any attention was better than no attention.**

**In _this_ time and place, Naruto (with a little help) had achieved some academic success and loved the praise and recognition that came with it. Now that he knew it was possible and it was even _better_ than he imagined Naruto was determined to do it again. He would work hard (and pay attention in class)! He was going to be the best-damned ninja he could be! Who wanted to be laughed at when he could be admired and respected? He wasn't going to be a clown that kind of recognition was unpalatable now that he'd had a taste of _real_ recognition. And so...**

**The world _changed_.**

**Well... Naruto thought for a moment and grinned mischievously. He could still pull a few pranks every now and then for old time's sake!  
**  
That fact honestly made Anko feel a little conflicted. She had thought that the kid's pranks were a lot of fun, but knew what it was like to struggle for acceptance from an uncaring world. So maybe she would just let that one slide for the moment.

**Life was good. But there was one thing that could make it better (aside from becoming the Hokage): Hinata. Although he spent the day with her just yesterday, he already missed his friend. _His friend_! Just thinking the word in his head made him giddy. Sure, Hinata was a strange girl. But that only made her more special in his eyes. They had talked a lot while playing Cat's Cradle... (Okay so he had talked a lot while playing Cat's Cradle...) Naruto was surprised at some of the things he discovered. She was a lot of fun to be with. She had a great sense of humor when he could get her to stop being so proper and she was a great listener. When she listened, Naruto felt like he had her whole attention. He felt No. He knew he was important to her. When he was with her, the pain of loneliness, of being hated for reasons he didn't understand, wasn't just diminished; it completely melted away.**

**She was his precious _friend_.  
**  
Looking over at the shy girl, Naruto allowed himself to wonder what might have been, and what might be in the future.

**He couldn't wait until the weekend was over and he could see Hinata again!  
**  
With that thought, Hinata turned bone white. She just knew that the next few scenes were going to suck Kyuubi balls.

* * *

**Hinata dreaded weekends. They couldn't go by fast enough for her. She knew she was an embarrassment to her clan. The fact that she was sent to the Ninja Academy for _public_ instruction instead of being privately trained by her father or a senior Hyuuga clansman was proof enough. When her father sent her to the Academy, he had washed his hands of her ninja training. Hinata had inadvertently overheard him speaking to one of the elders.  
**  
Remembering her own conversation with Hiashi upon accepting Hinata as a student, Kurenai knew this would not be pleasant. Having someone you cared about believe you were a waste of space was just cruel and reprehensible. No one deserved such treatment, least of all a sweet girl like Hinata.

**_Flashback_**

**_" Are you certain you want to send Hinata to the Ninja Academy?" asked Hyuuga Hideki. As an elder of the Hyuuga main branch, he was a traditionalist and always questioned the changes in tradition._**

**_"Hinata has shown very little aptitude in her training. I will not waste my time on training her. She can attend the Ninja Academy and learn the ninja ways there."_**

**_"Hinata is the Hyuuga Family's successor. When she graduates the Academy, she will become a genin. Missions that genin undertake have the possibility of death."_**

**_"If she dies on a mission, then she is a defect. A weak defect who dies on a genin-ranked mission is not needed by the Hyuuga. And there is still Hanabi."_**

**_"As you say, Hiashi-sama."_**

**_/Flashback  
_**  
Gaping, Naruto turned to the silent girl in shock. "What sort of jerk talks about their own kid like that? If anyone should know how awesome you are, it's him!"

Smiling at his praise, Hinata actually managed to maintain eye contact with the blonde this time. "This is the way of the Hyuga, Naruto-kun. If you're not strong enough, you are not worth the time of the clan. It is something I hope to one day change."

Unsure of what to say to that the blonde held his peace for the moment. But if things did not change damn quickly when they got back, he was going Kyuubi on that old bastard's ass!

**Knowing that her father thought so little of her hurt deeply.**

**Even though she was an embarrassment sent away to the Academy for her ninja training Hinata was still the Hyuuga heiress. This meant that weekends were spent with her father's advisors never her father training to become the next clan head. Her Hyuuga teachers were stern taskmasters. A nod of approval was rare. Success was expected as a matter of course. Errors were met with harsh reprimands. (They were nothing like Iruka-sensei.) She was drilled for hours in politics, diplomacy, etiquette, economics, and law all things necessary for an accomplished clan head. That wasn't so bad. In fact, Hinata was naturally adept in those subjects. She rather enjoyed them. While her teachers never praised her progress, at least they never criticized her either.  
**  
Narrowing her eyes at the work load, Ino turned to her teammates. "Hey, do either of you get training like that? I'm heir of the Yamanaka, but Daddy is barely willing to show me the family techniques half the time. No one has ever shown me all that political and economic crap either."

Sighing, Shikamaru shook his head. "Dad doesn't like to deal with that stuff before it's absolutely necessary. He makes an attempt every now and then when mom is in a mood, but it's really more trouble than it's worth."

Shrugging his shoulders in agreement, Chouji scratched the back of his head. "My dad does the same thing most of the time. I get a few stories every now and then, but no one seems interested in economic tutoring and stuff like that."

Snorting, Temari smirked at the three with a pitying look. "You aren't missing all that much believe me. We had to go through that shit too, and it's a pain in the ass. Just give me a good old fashioned fight any day of the week."

Frowning, Gaara turned to his sibling. "I don't know, some of it was interesting, especially the law sections. It was practically the only time Shukaku would calm down outside of combat."

**It was her _other_ lessons the ones for Jyuuken, the Hyuuga Gentle Fist style that she dreaded. She could never seem to meet the expectations set for her in Jyuuken. Her Byakugan had trouble seeing all the tenketsu the chakra points in the chakra circulatory system. Her chakra control wasn't good enough. Her stance was weak. Her speed was lacking. Her defense was poor. Against other Hyuuga children she was easily defeated. For the heir, that was simply _unacceptable_. She cringed at her terrible performance in Jyuuken. She rubbed at the painful bruises that dotted her arms and legs. Her Jyuuken instructors (and her sparring opponents) did not hold back. Ever.**

**Training sessions in Jyuuken were always painful. Often excessively painful Hinata thought.  
**  
Frowning, Gai seemed to glow with disapporval. "Yosh, this is most unyouthful! You cannot learn a technique without any support! Hard work, dedication and the belief that you can succeed are all needed to master a technique, and removing that is counter productive!"

Writing in his ever present notebook, Lee noded his agreement.

**The one bright spot to her weekends was Hanabi. Hinata adored her baby sister. The toddler was just starting to speak in full sentences. Hanabi was the only person in her family who was always happy to see her. ("Oneesan! Play with Hanabi-chan?") Her mistakes and failures didn't mean anything to the child. To her, Hinata was not the family disappointment. To her, Hinata was simply her big sister: the one who played with her, the one who always made time for her, the one who sang her songs and tucked her in at night.  
**  
At that thought, Hinata had to fight back her tears. Hanabi had not been that close with her for years, ever since her defeat at the younger girls hands. That defeat had not only cost her the love of her father, but her sister as well. For that, she could never forgive herself.

**Training in the Byakugan and in Jyuuken typically started at the age of three. In just one year, Hanabi's training would start. And Hinata was afraid, so very afraid, that when it did she would lose Hanabi. She was afraid that Hanabi would become like the rest of her family. Cold. Unfeeling. And intolerant of weakness. Intolerant of Hinata.  
**  
Closing his eyes, Neji remembered that event with perfect clarity. His hidden glee at the loss in his cousin's eyes at the time could only sicken him now. For that alone he would always owe a debt of gratitude to Uzumaki Naruto.

**The thought of losing Hanabi made her want to cry. She pushed those thoughts aside as she headed for the family dojo. It was time for Jyuuken training. Her heart sank when she saw the person standing beside her instructor.**

**"N-N-Neji-nisan."**

**Neji glared.**

**"You will spar with Neji today. Let us hope you have improved."  
**  
Narrowing his eyes, Kiba fought his urge to growl. No one treated his teammate like that and got away with it!

Of course, had he been paying attention, the Inuzuka might have noticed a glint in Shino's glasses that could only end with someone in pain.

* * *

**"Itadakimasu!"**

**Naruto slurped happily away at his ramen. After the Hokage, Iruka-sensei and Hinata, old man Teuchi who was the owner and chef of the Ichiraku Ramen stand and his daughter Ayame were his favorite people in Konoha. They had always been kind to him, treating him just like any other customer. (Most of the other food sellers refused to serve him. If they did, they went out of their way to make the experience as unpleasant as possible.) The familiar atmosphere was relaxing. While he ate, Naruto imagined that Teuchi was like a gruff uncle and Ayame was like an older cousin to him.**

Smiling at the scene, Tsunade nevertheless made a mental review to look over the procedures for maintaining a business in Konoha. She could not allow her ninja to be discriminated against after all.

**They always made time to chat with him and ask him how he was doing even when they were busy. Speaking of which...**

**"So Naruto, when are you going to introduce us to your new friend?" asked Teuchi, as he worked. The knife in his hand flashed as he chopped green onions for garnish.**

**"Eh? You wanted to meet Hinata-chan?"**

Blinking at the comment, Hinata blushed in embarrassment. With all the times she had seen Naruto at Ichiraku's she had never thought that the Ramen stand owners would be interested in her. After all, compared to Naruto-kun she was much less interesting.

**"Of course, we do! Silly!" Ayame rolled her eyes and lightly bopped him on the head with a long wooden spoon. "You've only been talking non-stop about her for the last two months. I feel like I know her already. We'd love to meet her!"**

**Her father nodded in agreement. "Any friend of our best customer is always welcome here."  
**  
Smiling, Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, that's just like those two." Snapping his fingers, he flashed Hinata a friendly grin. "Hey, we should go there after all this is over, right Hinata-chan? I'm sure they would love to meet such a nice girl!"

Blushing even more furiously, but unwilling to miss a moment of the scene, the shy Hyuga rapidly nodded while fighting down her blush -

**"Thanks!" Naruto beamed. "We usually hang out and train after class until she has to go home for dinner with her family. I think we can skip training on Monday and come straight here after class instead. We've been working really hard, so skipping every now and then won't hurt."**

**"That sounds wonderful. We'll be expecting you, so don't forget!" admonished Ayame.**

**"I won't!" Naruto lifted his bowl and quickly drank the broth. "Gochisousama!"  
**  
Seeing the interaction between the chefs and Naruto, Sakura could suddenly understand his obsession with the food with much greater clarity.

**Naruto hopped off his stool, but Teuchi stopped him before he could leave.**

**"Wait, Naruto. Would you be interested in any candy today? Our supplier made a mistake with our order. Instead of delivering a case of spices, he delivered a case of Konoha Bakudan. But he won't take it back or exchange it for the spices we originally ordered. So we're offering it to our customers."**

**Naruto's eyes lit up at the words "Konoha Bakudan" and he almost drooled. Konoha Bakudan or Kono-Baku for short were small round balls made with a crispy pastry shell and dark chocolate filling. They were a very popular sweet in Konoha. He had only eaten the treats a handful of times before. He didn't often have much money to splurge on sweets. And even when he did, none of the candy stores in the village would serve him. The Sandaime Hokage would sometimes give him a small bag on the rare occasions he visited. And once, he'd begged a few off of Chouji.**

Eyes widening in shock, Chouji turned to his squirming blonde friend. "Wait, the candy stores wouldn't sell stuff to you? That's horrible! No kid should be without candy growing up!"

However, the comment made Kiba's eyes narrow. "Wait, if you couldn't buy any candy, then how the hell did you get the stuff to bet against me in our races?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto managed to look sheepish. "Well, the Old Man would sometimes give me a treat or two, but it never seemed like all that much. So I was hoping that by racing against you I might get enough to last me until my next stash. It just didn't go like I planned."

**"Really?" Naruto almost danced with excitement. "You have Kono-Baku for me? You're the best, ojisan!"**

**Later that night, after closing their restaurant, Ayame turned to her father.**

**"That was a very nice thing you did for him, Father." There was no need to say who him was. "There was no mistake with our supplier. You ordered a case of Kono-Baku on purpose."  
**  
Blinking in surprise, Naruto looked on with his mouth hanging open. The ramen chef was a civilian, so he had never realized that the man could be sneaky like that!

**"Maybe I did," Teuchi said gruffly. "He's a good boy. He deserves to have a few treats every now and then."**

**"No, Father," Ayame gave her father a long searching look. "Naruto doesn't just deserve to have a few treats every now and then. He deserves a lot more than that. The way everyone treats him It's despicable! Why do they do that?"**

"Yeah, why does this stuff keep happening to Naruto? I knew that people didn't like him, but this is really extreme!"

Closing his eyes, Naruto did his best to keep his expression blank. He knew that Ino was not the only one wondering what was going on, but he sure as hell did not want to let that little secret out so quickly.

**"Ayame-chan," Teuchi sighed. "I can't tell you. Just know that it's not his fault; it's nothing he did."**

**"This has something to do with the Kyubi, doesn't it?"  
**  
Head snapping up, the blonde Genin looked at the older girl's image in horror. Already he could feel the gazes of his comrades digging into his back.

**"Who told you that?" he asked in alarm.**

**"No one told me, Father. I swear. Sometimes you must think I'm still a baby. I'm not stupid."**

**"Then how ?"**

**"I remember when the Kyubi attacked," she said softly. "I was only five, but I still remember that day, at least a little. There's a big secret about Naruto, isn't there? He was born on that day. And almost everyone hates him for it. I don't understand it but I know it has to do with the Kyubi."  
**  
Frowning, Shikamaru could not find fault with the civilian's logic. The only thing he could not understand was why Naruto would be affiliated with that event, besides being born on that day. Surely that could not be enough for this treatment, right?

Looking over the others, he was almost resigned to the blank gazes that every adult in the group seemed to share at the discussion. Naruto's blank face was much more surprising.

**"You're too smart for your own good, Ayame-chan," Teuchi said ruefully. "I still can't tell you. And you mustn't say anything about this to anyone else. Do you understand?"**

**Her father was absolutely serious. She could tell. She couldn't remember if he'd ever been more serious. This was important. Ayame nodded. "I won't, Father. I promise."**

Fisting his shirt in rage, Sasuke glared at the closest thing he had to a friend in this world. Every time he thought he had the idiot figured out, some secret like this came up. Just who was the blonde anyways?

**They worked quietly for a few more minutes. Then**

**"Father?"**

**"Yes, Ayame-chan?"**

**"Let's order more treats for Naruto in the future."**

**Teuchi smiled softly, "I am so proud of you, my daughter."  
**  
If he was not so busy avoiding everybody's gaze, Naruto might have noticed a few eyes shinier than expected with that pronouncement.

* * *

**After putting in some target practice, Naruto wondered if he should just go home. It was a beautiful day, not too warm, not too cold. The air was crisp, and the sun was shining. The day was just perfect. Naruto decided against it. Instead, he made his way to the Konoha Public Park. He would enjoy the rest of the day at _their_ bench. Well...It wasn't really theirs. It was a public park, after all. But since the bench was off the beaten path, not many people used it. Naruto and Hinata had used it as their spot for playing Cat's Cradle. The bag of Kono-Baku balls rattled in his hip pouch and Naruto was sorely tempted to eat them right away.**

_**No. I'll wait. I want to share them with Hinata-chan.  
**_  
Wondering what it would be like to share candy in the park with her blonde crush brought a smile to Hinata's face.

After all, spending hours blushing non-stop had to increase her emotional stamina eventually.

**He'd never shared anything with a friend before. He had only watched enviously as other kids shared toys and snacks with each other (but never with him).  
**  
Sakura hoped that she was not the only one feeling two inches tall at that point. Naruto might be one of the important people in her life now, but seeing him like this was a major blow.

Discovering that his life would have been so much better if someone had gotten off their ass and helped him a little was downright depressing.

**As he neared his destination, Naruto was disappointed to see that someone was already there. He frowned. Whoever it was probably wouldn't want to share the bench with him. As he got closer, he could make out more details. It was a child, probably about his age, sitting curled with his (her?) arms around his (her?) knees. And that person was crying. In fact, Naruto thought that person was strangely familiar. He or she reminded him of Hinata. Then with a start, Naruto realized that it was Hinata Hinata who for once was not wearing her large beige jacket. Instead, she was wearing a black T-shirt and black training pants. Without the coat, she looked smaller and more vulnerable. And...Were those bruises on her arms? Naruto rushed forward in alarm. She was crying and she was hurt!  
**  
Remembering Hiashi's callous words from earlier, the older blonde felt his fingernails draw blood from his palms. Even if nothing developed between him and the quiet girl, he was planning on having a firm talk with the Hyuga clan once they got back.

**"Hinata-chan! What happened? Are you okay?"**

**Hinata had been thoroughly defeated by her cousin Neji. Her instructor watched impassively as the cousins sparred if it could be called sparring. Hinata never stood a chance. Neji had the most potential of any Hyuuga in generations. After losing painfully yet again (and getting dropped by a right hook to her temple that had gotten past her guard), Hinata lay dazed and panting on the tatami mats of the dojo. When it became obvious that Hinata could no longer continue, her instructor finally spoke.**

_**Flashback**_

_**"It seems there has been no improvement. You failed to land even single hit on Neji. Your guard is so weak as to be non-existent. Next week, we shall attempt to improve it. Pain is an excellent motivator. Perhaps this shall encourage you to work harder. You are dismissed."  
**_  
The surrounding ninja were startled by a low growl coming, not from Naruto or Kiba, but Gai himself. "Such actions by an instructor are both close minded and foolish. To impart the secrets of taijutsu with such an attitude is unforgivable, especially for a child. I will be having words with that man when we get back."

Cracking his knuckles, Naruto gave the Jonin an evil smile. "You know that sounds quite youthful. Please Gai-sensei, teach me the secrets of the flames of youth as we teach these ass hats a lesson."

With that statement, both Jiraiya and Kakashi felt a chill run up their backs.

_**He did not help her up. Hinata heard only one set of footsteps leaving the dojo. Surprised, she turned her head to find that Neji had remained.**_

_**"It will not matter whether or not you work harder. We are all bound to our fates. I was born to serve the Hyuuga main branch. You were born weak and you will never reach my level. It is futile to try. You should just give up right now."**_

_**Then he left, as well. Alone at last, Hinata succumbed to tears. She rolled over and forced herself to stand up. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. She tried so hard! Why was she still so weak? Was Neji right? Should she give up and accept her failures? All of a sudden, the Hyuuga estate felt suffocating. Within its walls, she was constantly criticized never accepted. She did not want to be there! If only she were a bird, she would fly away and never come back.  
**_  
Glaring at her teammate, Tenten shocked her friends with words of acid. "You should be very, very happy that we can't cause each other physical pain here. But be warned that I'm going to be carving chunks of you hide off later. Really, making a little girl cry is bad enough, but when it's your cousin that's just unforgivable!"

Looking away, the young genius could not find the words to answer. She was right after all.

_**/Flashback**_

**Hinata did not know how she got to the park and to _their_ bench. (She did not remember leaving the Hyuuga compound.) In this place, where she held happy memories, she let herself cry. If only she could be more like Naruto! Almost as if the thought conjured him, he was suddenly _there_ and full of concern.**

**"Hinata-chan! What happened? Are you okay?"**

**Naruto could have kicked himself. What a _stupid_ thing to ask. She was obviously _not_ okay.  
**  
Ino was so tempted to point out the obvious, but Naruto trying to be sensitive was like seeing snow in the Land of Wind, so she held her peace to watch the show.

**Hinata's head snapped up in surprise. She tried unsuccessfully to dry her tears and hide the evidence of her distress. Naruto could see that, in addition to the set of bruises on her arms, her lower lip was split and there was another bruise forming on her right cheek. Suddenly he was angry. Who had hurt her? Who had hurt his friend?  
**  
Seeing Naruto's hands leaking a constant stream of red, Hinata gasped before gripping his shoulders. "Please Naruto-kun, stop that. I don't want you hurting yourself for something that happened so long ago."

Looking down in shame, the blonde, nodded before noting something odd. "Hinata-chan, how did you grab my arms? No one had been able to touch anyone else since we got here!"

Blinking in shock, the two Genin turned to their host, only to flinch at his smirk. Clearly, Vortex was no longer in a talkative mood.

**"Hinata-chan?" Naruto softly repeated the question, "What happened to you?"**

**Hinata looked away shamefully. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes.**

**"It w-w-was n-n-nothing, Naruto-kun. J-j-just sp-sp-sparring and tr-tr-training in Jyuuken."**

**"You look awful." (Hinata winced.) Naruto spoke fiercely, "Sparring and training is what we do in class. Whatever it was that you just did was not sparring! Who hurt you, Hinata-chan?"  
**  
Remembering how Naruto had stood up to A to S-class criminals when someone important to him was in danger, Sakura could not help but worry. If the kid before them attacked the Hyuga, things would only get worse for everybody involved.

**"N-N-Neji-nisan. B-b-but it w-w-wasn't his f-f-fault. I g-g-got h-h-hurt because I am t-t-too w-w-weak! I d-d-don't deserve to b-b-be a Hyuuga! Wh-wh-why am I always s-s-so w-w-weak?"**

**Hinata burst into tears again. She had just confessed her weakness to Naruto. She hadn't wanted to tell him, but he deserved the truth. Surely, now that he knew how weak she truly was, he would no longer want to be her friend. The last two months had been wonderful. But she had known it couldn't last. Why would he want the weak, little girl that even her family rejected?  
**  
Wiping the blood from his now healed hands, Naruto pulled the older Hyuga into a hug. "Hinata-chan, you are not weak. Please tell me that you'll never think of yourself like that again. You are strong, and share my ninja way. That is more than enough to prove your worth in my eyes."

Stunned by the close contact with her crush, the young kunoichi could only nod her agreement.

**She stiffened when she felt a pair of arms go around her. _Naruto was hugging her_! If she hadn't been in so much shock, she would have blushed.**

**"You are not weak. You are smart and strong. Whoever told you that is either blind or an idiot he's probably both!"**

**"B-b-but," Hinata protested, "e-e-everyone in m-m-my f-f-family says s-s-so. I'm the f-f-failure a-a-and the w-w-weakest. The Hyuuga d-d-don't n-n-need someone l-l-like m-m-me. I sh-sh-should g-g-give u-u-up."  
**  
Remembering the words from his own uncle and father, Gaara could suddenly appreciate his demonic abilities all the more. At least he had a way to fight back, even if he ended up as isolated as the girl before them.

**"Do they really say that to you?" Naruto asked softly. With every word that came out of her mouth, Naruto felt the burning anger in his chest grow. He was furious. It was one thing to put him down. He'd been put down his entire life. It was another thing entirely to disparage Hinata.**

_**That was unforgivable!  
**_  
Neji has a sudden vision of the Hyuga clan compound covered in orange paint, with every elder sporting silver sparkles in their hair. Somehow, he did not know if he should be scared or amused with the image.

**"H-h-hai," she whispered. Hinata fully expected him to let go in disgust. Instead, his arms tightened around her and he gave her a little shake.**

**"Bullshit! Listen to me, Hinata-chan. You are smart. You understand Iruka-sensei's lectures right away and sometimes you even explain them to me better than he does. You are strong. You beat Kiba and Chouji during last week's class spar. Your family and this Neji are just blind and stupid if they can't see that."  
**  
Frowning, Kiba nodded his agreement with the boy's sentiment. A true pack should support it's members, not cripple them.

**Hinata looked at him in wonder. Even after all that all the proof to the contrary, Naruto still believed in her! He still believed she was a worthy friend! But Naruto wasn't finished yet.**

**"You don't need to listen to what they say. People have told me that I'm a waste of space." (Hinata gasped in horror.) "But that doesn't matter, because someday, I'm going to prove them wrong. I'm going to be Hokage. I don't give up. If I did, I would have died a long time ago. And someday, you'll be the strongest Hyuuga that ever was! You're going prove your stupid family wrong and make them eat their words!**

**"You are my best friend! _And you will not give up_!"  
**  
Seeing the familiar shine in the Hyuga's eyes, Sasuke fought the urge to sigh. For some reason, Naruto always seemed able to do this sort of shit, showing those without power how they could be strong. It was one of his greatest abilities, and annoyed the hell out of the Uchiha genius.

It was also the cornerstone of their friendship somehow.

**In another time and place, Hinata had no one to comfort her, to dry her tears, to encourage her. She had no one who would _believe_ in her. And so, she faltered. The mind is a powerful, inexplicable thing. Because she believed she was weak, she became weak. It would take many years for her to overcome this block and reach her true potential.  
**  
Remembering her own earlier concerns, Kurenai felt much less sure of herself.

**In _this_ time and place, Hinata had Naruto who honestly believed she was strong and who did not know how to give up. Naruto believed in her. Naruto never quit. And if he said she was strong Maybe, just maybe, she was. And so, with his encouragement, Hinata would get up and try again. She had Naruto who would always be there to pick her up if she fell. She had Naruto who would always cheer the loudest for every small success that she achieved. She had Naruto who had just called her his best friend. (Hinata could hardly believe she could be the "best" at anything, yet, here she was: Naruto's best friend!) Naruto's best friend was _not_ a failure. _She would not let him down!_ And so**

**The world changed.  
**  
Biting her lip Tsunade could not help but wonder if that statement was true. Saying that the world would change, just because a couple of children would have each other growing up just rubbed her the wrong way. No one was destined to have that much of an impact, were they?

Or maybe, she really did have a successor ready in the wings.

**"You... Thank you," Hinata sniffed. This time they were happy tears. When she could speak again, there was a new fire in her eyes. "You're right, Naruto-kun. I'm n-n-not done fighting yet. N-n-next time, I'll hit Neji-nisan b-b-back."**

**"That Neji won't know what hit him!" Naruto grinned, relieved to see that Hinata was feeling better.  
**  
Swallowing, all Naruto could do at that point was whisper an appology. If only he had been there for her, then Hinata would not have had to deal with this all alone.

Her returning squeeze to his hand was surprisingly firm, but comforting at the same time.

**They sat side-by-side in comfortable silence just enjoying each other's presence and the beautiful weather, until Naruto remembered his surprise.**

**"Oh! I almost forgot! This will definitely cheer you up," he grinned, revealing a new _unopened_ bag of Konoha Bakudan. "Kono-Baku! I was going to share these with you after school on Monday. But I think you could use some right now. What do you say?"**

**"S-s-sure!" Hinata wasn't going turn down free candy. What seven year old in his (or her) right mind would turn down delicious Kono-Baku candy?**

**The two children happily ate their Kono-Baku. To Naruto, it was the best Kono-Baku he'd ever tasted all because he was sharing it with his best friend. To Hinata, the candy tasted even better than all the gourmet candies imported from the best confectioners in the world (It was a little known secret that most Hyuuga had a sweet tooth. Hence, the Hyuuga estate was well stocked with the best candies money could buy.) all because she was sharing it with her best friend.  
**  
Nodding firmly, Chouji flashed his friends a peace sign. "Nothing beats sharing a good meal with a good friend!"

**Soon the bag of treats was nearly empty.**

**Hinata and Naruto both reached for the last piece at the same time.**

**Hinata jerked her hand back when she felt Naruto's hand brush against hers. She blushed lightly and then looked down in disappointment. There was only one piece left. Proper etiquette demanded that she leave the last piece for Naruto. It was his bag of candy, after all. So he should get the last piece.**

**"Would you like the last piece, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked considerately.**

**"N-n-no, th-th-thank you. You c-c-can have it Naruto-kun."**

**"Hmm " Naruto looked thoughtful. "We should share. I know!"  
**  
Breath hitching, Ino turned to her fellow Kunoichi in shock. "Ok, is this idiot about to do what I think he is?"

Anko shook her head. "There is no way he could be that clueless."

Hana rubbed her eyes in frustration. "If he is anything like Kiba, I wouldn't be surprised."

Sakura palmed her forehead. "Yeah, I think I can see what is going to happen." -

**Before Hinata could ask how he intended for them to share, Naruto picked up the last piece and took a bite; he bit off half the Kono-Baku ball. And before Hinata could stop him, Naruto popped the other half of the candy into her mouth.  
**  
Hinata began to feel faint from all the displaced blood rushing to her skull.

**_Did he just...?_ Hinata couldn't even finish the thought in her head.**

**Her eyes went impossibly wide. Her heart pounded so loudly she was surprised he didn't hear it. The light blush she wore, from their accidental touch just a few moments before, erupted into a flaming red bloom.**

**"Mmm...that was delicious wasn't it?" Naruto asked. He turned to look at her and caught sight of her red face. "Ah! Hinata-chan? Are you okay? Your face is flushed. That Neji must have hurt you more than we thought. Let's take you to the doctor right away! We have to make sure it's nothing serious!"  
**  
Shaking his head in denial, Jiraiya turned his disdaining gaze upon Kakashi. "There is no forgiveness for allowing the kid to remain that clueless."

Scratching the back of his head, the Copy ninja could not bring himself to reply.

**Hinata couldn't answer him because she was doing her level best _not to faint_!**

**She succeeded. Barely.**

* * *

**That night, Hinata dreamt of chocolate filled candies and indirect kisses.  
**  
Shivering, Anko turned to Shizune. "Ok, I'm going to need a checkup for rotten teeth as soon as possible."

Sighing at the specialist's attitude, the medic nodded her agreement.

* * *

Authors Note

Yeah, I know that I ve begun to slow down a bit. I am glad that this project is getting more attention, and I hope to update more often in the future. Unfortunately, I have been fighting a series of colds over the last couple of weeks, resulting in a massive downturn in my productivity. However, since this has been kicking around on my hard drive for a bit, I decided to finish it off. I just won t be able to guarantee another update until I m back at one hundred percent.

Please stay tuned!


	5. Naruto get's a clue!: OSS Chapter 4

No I don't own Naruto. Although I had to fight back a tear when he finally saw his mother in the Anime, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  
Once again, **highlighted material** is the responsibility of the grand Shawny Wong.

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter Five

Naruto get's a clue!

**Universal Coordinates - 4139575/4**  
**Universal Coordinator - Shawny Wong **  
**Universal Identification - One Small Step **  
**Time Stamp - Healing Kiss**

* * *

Chuckling, Vortex turned to the flushed Hyuga kunoichi and the oddly pensive Naruto. "I have to admit that the cuteness factor in that last scene was just plain adorable! There's nothing like seeing two little kids finding happiness with one another after a traumatic event. It's almost enough to bring a tear to your eye." Wiping a bit of fake moisture from his face the figure grinned all the while. Sometimes you just needed a cute moment to bring you out of a funk.

Pulling Hinata closer into his chest absently, the blonde turned to their captor with a focused expression. "Alright, thast's enough you bastard. Now that you've managed to embarras Hinata-chan, why don't you answer the earlier question. How were we able to touch one another? Everyone else who's tried has fallen on their butts in no time." Stiffening in his arms, Hinata moved to separate herself, only to find the blonde's grip to be much stronger than anticipated. Apparently, she was not the only one drawing comfort from their closeness.

Smirking, the so called bastard shook his head sarcastically. "Well that's simple enough. The rules state that you cannot cause each other physical harm. I never said that you couldn't offer comfort. The only reason that no one else has made contact so far is because they were trying to beat each other up. It's just as simple as that." Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Naruto nodded slowly. That at least made sense.

Clapping his hands together, the figure threw another look at the now-frowning Kurenai-sensei. "Now that you have been shown the true basis of their friendship, it's time to see the results. It's not going to be easy or simple, but I think that a bit of a time skip is in order. If only to assure the poor little Kunoichi Jonin that everything is on the up and up." The raven haired beauty barely had a moment to open her mouth in retaliation before the scenery changed once again."

* * *

**Hinata sighed as she slid gratefully into the ofuro of her own private bath. Most of the time, she did not care for the luxuries and amenities that her family's wealth afforded. But relaxing in the ofuro and letting the hot water soothe away her aches and troubles after a long day of training was simply..._divine_. It was the one vice she didn't think she could live without!**

* * *

Blushing like a tomato, Hinata was quick to cover the eyes of the blonde before he could see anything embarrassing. Thankfully, she could see the other females acting to preserve her modesty from the remaining males in a similar fashion.

* * *

**As was her custom, Hinata spent this time in deep contemplation. The last three years of her life had been hard, but with Naruto's help, she had persevered.**

**The day after she and Naruto had shared their first bag of Kono-Baku - she _still_ blushed thinking about it - Naruto had dragged off her to see Iruka-sensei in his home.**

* * *

Eyes covered in self preservation, the Chunin was barely able to quack out, "Wait, what?"

* * *

**_Flashback_**

**_It was Sunday._**

**_Hinata had agreed to meet Naruto after her training in the Hyuuga arts was over for the day. But what were they doing here? She looked around at the residential neighborhood where Naruto had taken them. The single homes and apartment buildings were well kempt. The flower beds were well tended, the fences were brightly painted, and the streets were clean and in good repair. Several buildings down, she could see a few civilian children were playing ball. While not as upscale as the neighborhood where the old clans resided, it was not shabby either._**

* * *

Whistling, Anko turned to check out the instructor a little more closely. That particular part of town had all sorts of residential requirements to get access to the property. Most ninja could not get past the screening process due to personal quirks, so either this guy had to be really balanced, or a master of hiding his true self. Either way made him a bit more interesting than before.

After all, with pillars of the community like Kakashi and Gai around, finding a nice stable male ninja to have a relationship was like trying to find nudie pictures of Tsunade!

* * *

**_"Ano Naruto-kun." She was tugging on his sleeve to get his attention. "What are we doing here?"_**

**_"We're here to see, Iruka-sensei," he said, as if that explained everything. But Hinata was only more bewildered. Naruto walked up to a modest duplex and knocked confidently on the door. "Iruka-sensei! Iruka-sensei! Are you home? We need help!"_**

* * *

Blinking, Naruto looked at the scene in consideration. He and Iruka-sensei usually had a bowl of ramen after a prank or something. He had never been invited to the man's house before.

* * *

_**Iruka had been enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon with iced-tea and a good book when the knocking started. He sighed at the interruption. At this rate, he was never going to finish that book! He opened the door to find his favorite student on the doorstep with Hinata in tow.**_

_**"Hello, Naruto, Hinata. What can I do for you?"**_

_**Ever since Iruka realized the villagers were actively abusing and mistreating Naruto, he thought long and hard about what actions he could take, if any. In the end, he had decided against informing the Hokage (who probably knew already - not much got past the Sandaime - he was "the Professor" for a reason). Instead, Iruka gave Naruto the next best thing: an open invitation to visit him at any time (night or day) and for any reason. Iruka figured (correctly) that his support and acknowledgement would mean more to Naruto than punishing a few villagers ever could. Punishing a few villagers would not change anything; it would not stop them (or others) from mistreating him again. But knowing that there was Iruka, someone (besides the Sandaime who was often busy) who would help him, advise him, and care for him if he were ever in trouble that meant the world to Naruto.**_

* * *

Feeling himself go white, the Chunin turned to the blonde boy, only to see a mask of pain. Had he really been so focused and self loathing that he could not have previously reached out to the child like this? As an orphan, Iruka knew how important it could be to have a place to call home. So he knew that such an offer would have meant the world to Naruto, if only he had the guts to provide it.

* * *

_**However, Iruka had not expected to see Naruto again so soon. He had been doing much better in class. So what was the problem?**_

_**"You have to help us, Iruka-sensei! Hinata's family is awful! They say horrible things about her that are just not true! And ..."**_

* * *

Seeing the Hyuga clan dirty laundry being aired so easily, both Neji and Hinata felt absolutely mortified.

* * *

_**Several minutes later, after much loud, indignant ranting from Naruto and much blushing from Hinata who was absolutely mortified (What would her father say if he ever found out she had exposed their family affairs to a non-Hyuuga? What would he do to her?), Iruka finally got the gist of it:**_

_**Naruto was mad. The Hyuuga thought Hinata was weak! Naruto was mad. The Hyuuga were beating her and calling it sparring! And hey! Did you know? Naruto was mad. Naruto wanted to help. Hinata needed real training. Then she was going to show them exactly which Hyuuga was weak because it certainly wasn't Hinata. Naruto needed extra training, too, because he was going to help her (and he was going to be the future Hokage!) Naruto would be Hinata's real sparring partner and not some punk who just liked to bully his younger cousin.**_

* * *

Feeling Naruto tense in their hug again, Hinata forgot her mortification and attempted to calm him down once again.

* * *

**_Iruka leaned back in his seat and thought carefully for a few moments. He was a bit surprised at how fiercely Naruto had defended Hinata. Unfortunately, he was not at all surprised at the Hyuuga "training" methods. He had suspected as much._**

* * *

Seeing the surprised looks of those around him, Iruka sighed. "I am not an idiot, and emotional training or not most of the Hyuga I've taught are just children. It's not hard to see the occasional sign of such treatment, but as a simple Chunin, it's not like I could call out the Hyuga clan for mistreating their members. That sort of action would set off every single clan who had someone in my class and probably end my teaching career in a minute."

* * *

**_"Hmm...Taijutsu was never one of my strengths. But there is someone I could introduce you to. Not only is Maito Gai the foremost taijutsu master in Konoha, but he's also worked extensively with other Hyuuga in the past. He's very... mmm ...passionate about his field of expertise. I know he'd be more than happy to help you."_**

**_Naruto looked like Christmas had come early._**

**_/Flashback_**

* * *

Twitching at the thought of Naruto learning under Gai, Kakashi felt an odd sense of possessiveness. The blonde was his student, so there was not a chance in hell he would allow him to become the orange beast of Konoha!

* * *

**Iruka was as good as his word. He had introduced them to one Maito Gai the self-proclaimed Green Beast of Konoha and one of the best taijutsu masters in all of Fire Country.**

**_Flashback_**

**_"I can see clearly that these two are in the spring time of their youth! Yosh! I will fan the flames of their youth and they will be the best taijutsu fighters of their generation or I shall run 5000 laps around Konoha!"_**

**_/Flashback_**

* * *

Pumping his fist in excitement, Lee gave a brilliant nice guy grin. "Yosh! That's how you stir your flames of youth!"

* * *

**Passionate was not the word she would have chosen to describe him. _Insane_ was more like it! But she and Naruto soon discovered that as quirky as Gai-sensei could be, he was also one of the _best_ taijutsu instructors that ever existed.**

**Hinata and Naruto joined Gai-sensei's workouts at 5:00AM every morning. They would spend at least two hours training with him before going to class. The first hour was usually dedicated to physical conditioning, geared towards increasing their stamina, including laps, push-ups, sit-ups and even more laps. During the second hour, Gai-sensei helped them with their taijutsu. He taught Naruto the basics of Goken. Though Gai-sensei was not a Hyuuga, he had worked (and sparred) with many Hyuuga in the past. With his passion for anything related to taijutsu, he had learned as much about Jyuuken as it was possible for a non-Hyuuga to learn which was quite a substantial amount. (Hinata was certain that if the Hyuuga elders on the clan council were to discover exactly how much Gai-sensei knew of their fighting art... well... _furious_ wouldn't even begin to cover it!) In just the first month, Gai-sensei had been able to teach Hinata more about Jyuuken than she had learned** **in an entire year from her weekend Jyuuken instructors. And much to Hinata's great relief, his teaching methods were significantly less painful.**

* * *

Sharing a look, Asuma, Kurenai and Kakashi suddenly felt a mite inadequate. The training methodology was nearly ten times more intense than they put their fully qualified Genin teams through. That Gai had managed it with a pair of eight year olds and actually succeeded was like a kick in the gut for the other instructors.

* * *

**Soon, Rock Lee, a third Year Academy student, joined them in their morning routine. Lee had malformed chakra coils, and could not mold chakra for jutsu. But he was still determined to become a ninja; it was his dream. In many ways, his refusal to give up on his dream reminded Hinata of Naruto. He took to Goken like a fish to water. Gai-sensei was his idol. Lee and Naruto quickly became good friends and a friendly rivalry sprang up between them. Both boys were determined to out do each other whether it was who could run the most laps or do the most push-ups or eat the most ramen in one sitting. (Naruto won that last one.) If they could compete over it they would.**

* * *

Blinking, Lee wondered if it might be a good idea to reevaluate his criteria for a proper rival. Clearly, Naruto-kun had a proper understanding of the potential of the flames of youth than his current competition!

* * *

**Hinata found it _impossible_ to keep up with the boys - stamina freaks that they were - in their morning workouts. Before Hinata could despair, Gai-sensei who was much more intuitive than most people gave him credit for pulled her aside and told her not to compare herself to the boys.**

_**Flashback**_

_**"You are Hinata," Gai-sensei said seriously.**_

* * *

Tilting her head to the side, Ino muttered, "He's been hit on the head one too many times."

* * *

**_"Hai, Gai-sensei." Hinata wondered if he was going to give her another speech about fanning the flames of youth._**

**_"No. I do not think you understand. You are Hinata. You are not Naruto. And you are not Lee. You should not compare yourself to either of them just as they should not compare themselves to you. We each have our strengths and weaknesses which is why most ninja are placed on teams, so that their teammates will support them, just as they support their teammates. No one is without weaknesses. Naruto and Lee will always have more stamina than you. They will always be physically stronger, as well. This is fact."_**

**_Hinata shrank into herself, ashamed. Was her new teacher telling her she was weak? But She tried so hard! Was it not enough? Before she could despair further, Gai-sensei continued._**

**_"But and listen to me carefully, Hinata Naruto will also never have your chakra control and Lee will never have your flexibility. You are all unique. If you must compare yourself to someone, as a gauge of your progress, then you should compare yourself to you_**

**_"I d-d-don't understand, Gai-sensei," Hinata confessed._**

* * *

Scratching the back of his head, Kiba groaned, "Yeah, I'm kind of lost too."

* * *

_**"You should compare yourself to the Hinata of yesterday. If you can run one more step than you ran yesterday If your chakra control is just a little bit better than it was yesterday If you can fight harder and faster than you fought yesterday If you can dodge today what you could not dodge yesterday and block what you could not block yesterday Then the Hinata you are today is a better, stronger person than the Hinata you were. If you do this then I am proud to call you my precious student!"**_

* * *

Gaping and the scene, Hinata spared a look at Gai before blushing. She had never had her potential explained to her like that, and some tiny part of her wished it had happened sooner. The difference would have been amazing.

* * *

_**Gai-sensei is proud of me? Hinata was almost overwhelmed. The last person to be proud of her had been her mother. But it had been so long since her passing that the memory was fuzzy and indistinct. Could she do all that? Could she be better than she was yesterday? Could she win against the person she was yesterday? Yes.**_

_**"Hai! Gai-sensei!"**_

_**In true Maito Gai fashion, Gai smiled (showing gleaming white teeth) and gave her a thumbs-up.**_

_**/Flashback**_

* * *

"Yosh! Another had been shown their flames of youth!"

Shell shocked by the effective advice the Jonin had given, no one bothered to comment.

* * *

**Hinata took Gai's words to heart... and applied the principle to her Jyuuken training.**

**She set small goals at every training session, including her weekend training sessions with the Hyuuga. She stopped comparing herself to her cousin Neji because she was Hinata, not Neji. She stopped comparing herself to her other sparring opponents, too. And most importantly, she stopped losing heart whenever she lost a match because it didn't matter if she lost, as long as she didn't lose to herself.**

* * *

Smiling, Naruto nodded his head in satisfaction. If a person never gave up on themselves, then victory was always within their grasp!

* * *

**Gradually, almost imperceptibly, she improved.**

_**Flashback**_

_**I will not stop until I hit Neji at least once. Hinata repeated the mantra as she forced herself to get up yet again. Her body was begging her to quit. It was too tired, too spent. It wanted to collapse and recover. But I will not stop until I hit Neji at least once! And then she did. It was just a glancing blow to his shoulder and more luck than anything else. It was not even a vital hit. But that didn't matter. She did it!**_

* * *

Remembering how those sorts of spars had usually gone, the Hyuga Prodigy had to blink in surprise. Hinata-sama had never managed such a hit on him in any way, shape or form.

* * *

_**"Perhaps you have been paying attention, after all," her instructor told her, as she lay panting on the floor of the dojo. "That is all for today. I wonder whether you can repeat this feat or not."**_

_**Neji waited until he was gone. Although Hinata could not see her cousin's expression from her position on the floor, she could feel his fury. His voice could have frozen magma. "Lady Luck will not favor you a second time. You are still the weakest of the Hyuuga. It has been determined by Fate. You will not succeed again."**_

_**/Flashback**_

* * *

Instead of getting pissed off by the older boy's attitude again, Naruto just grinned. Something told him that the jackass before them was in for a bit of disapointment.

* * *

**Neji was _wrong_.**

**Hinata did succeed again and again... and many more times since that day.**

**I will not stop until I can hit Neji twice!**

**I will not stop until I can hit Neji three times!**

**I will not stop until I can avoid being hit for 5 minutes**

**I will not stop until I can avoid being hit for 10 minutes**

**I will not stop until I can avoid being hit for 20 minutes**

**I will not stop until I can perform Hakke Rokujuuyonshou (Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand) 3 seconds faster than before**

**5 seconds faster!**

**7 seconds faster!**

* * *

Looking at her own determined face, Hinata had to wonder who the girl in front of them was. It was just impossible to believe that she was looking at a younger version of herself anymore. The differences were just too numerous.

* * *

**Hinata sighed ruefully. Neji could still wipe the floor with her. But each time, she made it harder and harder for him to do it. She refused to go down without a fight. A small vindictive part of her danced with glee each time she was forced to spar with him because she intended to make each victory hurt. After three years of Gai-sensei's regimen she actually used a light version of his regimen (Naruto and Lee used the full version) she had a lot more stamina than the normal kunochi. Neji had to work to defeat her now. In a few more years, at the rate she was improving, his victories would no longer be so certain.**

**Today was a good day.**

* * *

Finally, after everything she had seen, Kurenai had to admit a simple truth. Uzumaki Naruto was an excellent influence on her favorite student.

* * *

**Today, not only had she won against the Hinata of yesterday, she had also won against her Hyuuga sparring opponent. First. Time. Ever. She had won against another Hyuuga! Hyuuga Katsu was from the Hyuuga branch house and unlike Neji he did not appear to bear her any ill will. Unlike Neji, he was not a prodigy; he was considered to be of average skill in Jyuuken for his age. Katsu was also two years her senior. She had managed to beat a Hyuuga!**

* * *

Pumping a fist in the air, Naruto smiled at the shocked expression Hinata now wore. He knew she could do it!

* * *

**Her instructor had even unbent enough to give her backhanded praise, though his expression remained impassive.**

_**Flashback**_

_**"You have made some progress. Continue as you have and you may yet become semi-proficient in Jyuuken. Perhaps when you become clan head, you will not horribly embarrass the Hyuuga, after all."**_

_**/Flashback**_

* * *

That wiped the smile off of the blondes face in an instant. Narrowing his eyes, the Genin promised himself to remember something rather special for the man in front of them.

* * *

**Hinata realized with a start that the water was cold. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice how late it had become. She stepped out of the ofuro and wrapped a fluffy robe around herself. It was time for bed. She needed to be up before 5:00AM for her morning training. She couldn't wait to tell Naruto and Gai-sensei all about her first victory against Hyuuga Katsu! They would be so proud!**

* * *

Smiling at the young girl, Gai flashed another shining grin. "Of course we will! You have stayed true to the path of hard work!"

* * *

**The next morning, Gai-sensei, Lee, and Naruto reacted exactly as she'd expected. Gai-sensei cried happy tears for her and proclaimed her to be "a beautiful blossom in the springtime of youth!" Lee pumped his fist in the air and told that he'd never doubted that she could do it. Naruto had laughed and declared that they would celebrate by going to Ichiraku's; then he picked her up and swung her around until she was dizzy. Hinata soaked up the approval and praise like a sponge. Celebrating at Ichiraku's that sounded like a date! Even though they had eaten there many times before and even though Hinata knew Naruto didn't mean it that way she couldn't stop herself from imagining that it was a date.**

* * *

Smirking at the blushing Hinata's, both older and younger, Ino shook her head. If it got much cuter, she would need to slip past Anko-sempai to get to a dentist!

* * *

**It was one of the happiest moments of her life. For once in her life, Hinata felt like she could conquer mountains. For a moment, she absolutely believed that one day, she would achieve her dreams until cold harsh reality brought her daydreams crashing down.**

* * *

Blinking, Kiba leaned forward. "Wait, what was that? Everything seems to be going great!"

* * *

**On the way to the Academy, Naruto made a confession that wounded her heart.**

**"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Naruto sounded, inexplicably hesitant. "I wanted to ask you for your opinion on something."**

**"What is it Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked curiously.**

**"I was wondering what you thought of Sakura-chan. I mean you're a girl, right? So just I don't know what do you think of her?"**

* * *

Gulping, Naruto looked down, letting his arm drop off the suddenly pale girl next to him. He had gotten so wrapped up in the scenes before them, that he had never considered that he might still like Sakura-chan here! Hinata-chan had been there for him for YEARS, and he was still stupid enough to go after someone else? It was enough to make him feel an inch tall.

* * *

**_Sakura-chan_? Oh no Dread tore away the happiness she had felt just moments earlier. And Was Naruto-kun blushing? He was! A light pink suffused his whiskered cheeks. She needed to know! Did he Did he like Sakura?**

**"Why why do you want to know?" Hinata congratulated herself for not stuttering.**

**"Ah! Because " Naruto blushed harder and Hinata's heart sank. He put his hands behind his head and looked away. "Well because I think Sakura-chan's kind of cute and she's pretty smart, too. Do you think she'd go on a date with me, if I asked?"**

**Naruto-kun had a crush on Sakura!**

* * *

Feeling the burning glares on her back, Sakura looked away. It would not have been such a big deal if this was the same idiot who had pestered her for dates when they were younger. But instead, this Naruto had turned to another girl for friendship, and was inadvertently stepping on her heart because of her feminine wiles. It left her feeling a bit like she had kicked a puppy or something.

* * *

**Suddenly, Hinata couldn't look at him. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked back tears. She didn't speak until she was sufficiently composed and she was sure her voice wouldn't betray her. Naruto who was still self-conscious about his confession didn't notice her hesitation or her distress.**

**"I don't know, Naruto-kun. Sakura and I are not close. She looks like a nice girl."**

**"Oh."**

**Hinata cringed at how despondent he sounded. She had to do something! She had to say something! No matter how difficult it was or how miserable it made her.**

**"But but I think that Naruto-kun should follow his heart. If if you truly like Sakura and if if Sakura-chan is what makes you happy, then you should do your best and see what comes of it. You are Uzumaki Naruto. And you always do your best, right?"**

* * *

Gulping, Naruto risked a look at the Hinata by his side, and shuddered at the hopelessness in her eyes. Whatever they had, or the younger versions of them had, this scene was completely not fair to one of the nicest girls he knew! "I'm sorry Hinata-chan."

Blinking, Hinata shot him a sad smile. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Naruto-kun. Despite how close we appear here, I still have not done anything to indicate that I might be interested in you. Besides, this would have only happened if I had dared to make the first move in the first place. Therefore, you cannot be blamed for what we're seeing."

Frowning, the blonde Genin pulled her back into a one-armed hug. "That still doesn't mean I can't feel sorry, right?" Hinata chose not to answer, but also did not pull away from the hug.

* * *

**Naruto visibly brightened making Hinata feel simultaneously better and worse. Her emotions were giant jumbled mess and she still wanted to cry.**

**"You're right, Hinata-chan. I was feeling a bit depressed. But I feel better now!" Naruto grinned. "Do you mind if I go on ahead? I want to see if I can find Sakura-chan before class starts."**

**Yes! I mind very much! Please I don't want you to go!**

**"Of course not, Naruto-kun," she murmured instead. "Good luck. Sakura is a lucky girl."**

**"Thanks, Hinata-chan!"**

* * *

Groaning, Temari slapped her face. "Just how clueless can one brat be?"

* * *

**Hinata watched him dash off. Never in her life had she wanted to be someone else so badly. Why couldn't Naruto-kun like her, instead? She recalled her father's words from long ago; they haunted her in her darkest moments. A defect that's all she was. She was lying to herself if she tried to believe any differently. Sakura was prettier and smarter. If she made Naruto happy, then Hinata could accept that eventually. She had to accept it. She would accept it.**

**She would! She could accept that Naruto only wanted to be her friend and nothing more.**

**Liar.**

* * *

Shivering, Hinata pulled closer to the blonde by her side. Knowing that making a move on the blonde would not prevent his crush on the pink haired teammate was a blow, but she was not weak enough to allow it to stop her now. She was the one that Naruto was comforting, and she was the one he looked to. That would just have to be enough for the moment.

* * *

**It was late afternoon.**

* * *

Frowning, Tenten wondered why they had skipped forward past the blondes attempt at picking up his classmate.

* * *

**As promised, Naruto and Hinata were on their way to Ichiraku's for a celebratory bowl of ramen. The route they usually took to get to Ichiraku's from the Ninja Academy took them by a long stretch of road lined on one side by a tall wooden fence that was perhaps 100 yards long. When he was eight, Naruto had declared that fence perfect for balance training and proceeded to walk along on top of the fence. Fence walking was more difficult than it appeared. The depth of the fence was perhaps half an inch, at most. Naruto learned the hard way taking many falls in the process to keep his center of gravity centered, to look straight ahead and not at his feet (because as counter intuitive as that sounded, looking at his feet was the fastest way to lose his balance), and to place one foot directly in front of the other. Even after he'd mastered the exercise (it greatly improved his posture and balance), Naruto made it a habit to walk on top of the fence on their way to Ichiraku's. He did it at every opportunity simply because it was fun.**

* * *

Blinking, Naruto wondered why he had never thought to do that himself.

* * *

**When they reached that stretch of road, Naruto automatically hopped on the fence and continued along his merry way. Hinata (wisely) stayed on the ground and walked beside him.**

**"What a bitch!" Naruto grumbled. "I can't believe I wanted to ask her out! Why didn't you stop me?"**

* * *

Hearing the raw venom in her teammate's voice, Sakura was brought up short. Just what had she said to make Naruto, who had never wavered in his attempts to pick her up before, lash out like that?

* * *

**Hinata knew that was a rhetorical question. So she offered her best friend a sympathetic look and listened quietly. Naruto had been venting his displeasure since leaving the Academy.**

**Hinata had deliberately stayed away from class as long as she could. She waited until the last possible moment to arrive. (She couldn't bear to watch Naruto ask another girl out.) So she had missed the drama. Apparently, Sakura had, in no uncertain terms, turned him down violently. She seemed incensed that Naruto had even thought to ask her out because she, Sakura, loved Sasuke and wasn't about to give any consideration to any other guy especially not a dead last loser and a failure like Naruto.**

* * *

Remembering back to the Academy, Iruka winced. That honestly did not sound any different than any other attempt Naruto had made to date Sakura in the past. So why was there such a major change in his reaction now?

* * *

**(Thank goodness Sakura said no. Hinata immediately berated herself for her traitorous thought. All she could feel was profound relief that Sakura had turned Naruto down though Hinata wished she'd done it more gently. I am being too selfish but Thank goodness!)**

**"I mean yes, she's kind of cute. And yes, she's pretty smart. But she's got the personality of a slug! And can you believe she called me a dead last loser? And a failure?" Naruto continued to rant. "I haven't been dead last in three years! Three! What rock has that slug been hiding under?"**

* * *

Frowning, Naruto was sort of split how to feel here. On one hand, the younger Hinata had been his best friend and clearly had a thing for him, so hurting her by starting something with Sakura was not cool. On the other hand, in all his years of attempting to date the pink haired girl, he had never talked about her like this. It made him feel like something of a jerk.

* * *

**Hinata made appropriate humming noises. (She was relieved to see that Naruto was already over his crush. He did not appear hurt, just insulted.) Naruto barely noticed.**

**"I don't get it! It's not like Sasuke is all that cool. Why do all the girls like him anyways? He's always so cold towards them. He's such a jerk. Why do they keep going back for more? Do they want to suffer?"**

* * *

At this point, the last "loyal" Uchiha would have probably made some sort of snarky comment, but honestly he did not see the point. His fan girls had always been a pain, and trying to figure them out was more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

**"Ano... Naruto-kun. Those girls don't really like Sasuke because they don't really know him. He keeps all of them away. The person those girls like is the person they think Sasuke is. He is the last of the Uchiha a rich and noble clan. To them, Sasuke is like a prince. They are attracted to the idea of becoming his princess."**

* * *

Sakura was almost tempted to respond, but remembering just how much her time with Sasuke had shown her his faults kept her mouth shut.

Ino was just not one hundred percent sure the Hyuga was wrong.

* * *

**"That's stupid," Naruto snorted. "Those girls are idiots; crushing on that stupid jerk. At least you don't have a crush on some stupid boy. Right, Hinata-chan?"**

* * *

Smirking at the blonde, Tsunade shook her head. "Oh, I think she has a crush on the stupidest boy in the village, don't you Shizune?"

Glaring at her Mistress, Shizune hugged Tonton to her chest. "I don't think that you would have to put it like that, my lady."

* * *

**Hinata couldn't help herself. She went ghost white, then almost instantly, went beet red. When she didn't answer right away, Naruto turned to look at her.**

**"You don't. Right?" he asked again. Is Hinata blushing? She is! Why would she unless The gears started turning and cranking in his head until he arrived at the correct conclusion (for once). His mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh. My. God. You do!"**

**Hinata has a crush!**

* * *

Letting out a slow clap, Hana smirked at the blushing older blonde and his kunoichi companion. "Well, what do you know? You really are smarter with Hinata's influence."

* * *

**The revelation was so staggering that Naruto did exactly that. He promptly forgot everything. He forgot he was precariously balanced at the top of a 6-foot high fence. He forgot how to fall safely. He forgot every last bit of his training and went staggering right off the fence. Naruto was intimately (and painfully) reacquainted with the ground.**

**Hinata's hands flew to her mouth in horror. "Naruto-kun!"**

**"Ow... Ooh... That hurt " Naruto moaned as he tried to sit up.**

**Hinata rushed forward to help him up and took inventory of his injuries. Naruto's fall had been quite impressive. He had scrapes on both knees, both hands, and a shallow cut on his forehead. Hinata fumbled for the first aid kit in her pack. (They were studying basic first aid at the Academy this year. All students were required to carry a kit with them for class.) Hinata was glad she had it with her as she knelt beside him.**

**Naruto watched her clean and bandage his injuries without a word.**

**"Who is it?"**

**Hinata froze.**

* * *

Trying to push past her shock that Naruto had lost interest in her that quickly, Sakura shot her teammate a look. "Naruto, you don't ask a girl something like that! It's really, really rude!"

The blonde at least had the decency to look sheepish.

* * *

**Of course, he would ask! She should have expected it! What was she going to say? She couldn't tell Naruto that it was him that she had a crush on! She just couldn't. Not after he'd told her about his now ex-crush on Sakura! He obviously didn't feel the same way about her. She didn't want to lose his friendship or make things awkward between them because she wanted more so much more.**

**Hinata fought back the urge to groan. Somehow, she just knew that this was going to be a mistake.**

**"What do you mean?" Hinata stalled desperately. She could feel the heat crawling up her cheeks.**

**"Who's the stupid boy that you like?" Naruto frowned at her evasiveness.**

**"He's not stupid!"**

* * *

Snorting, Anko fixed the Hyuga with a look. "No, he really is."

* * *

**Naruto was taken aback at her vehemence. "Why didn't you tell me you liked someone?" he asked quietly.**

**"I didn't want him to find out," Hinata shook her head. "I still don't. He doesn't like me back that way. I would just embarrass myself if he found out."**

**"I get why you didn't tell him. But why didn't you tell me, at least? Aren't we best friends? Don't you trust me? I wouldn't have told anyone, not even the guy you like."**

**Hinata cringed at the hurt expression on his face. She hurried to reassure him. "It's not like that at all. We are! I do! It's just this is a very private thing for me. I just I couldn't tell you," she finished lamely.**

* * *

Kakashi was almost tempted to make a quip about the young love before them, but he just knew that he would not survive the experience, weird rules of space and time or no.

* * *

**"Will you tell me who it is now?"**

**"No!"**

**"Why not?"**

**"No!"**

**"It's not Sasuke, is it?" Naruto looked horrified.**

**"No!"**

**"Well that's a relief! You can do much better than Sasuke, Hinata-chan. Is it Lee? He's a pretty good guy."**

* * *

Blushing, Lee scratched the back of his head. "Truly, I am honored for your praise, Naruto-kun. But something tells me that such a comment will only make things worse.

* * *

**"No!" Hinata loved Naruto's persistence in the face of overwhelming odds; it was one of the traits she loved best about him. But just this once, she wished he wasn't so determined!**

**"Hey If you tell me who it is, I can help you get together with him," Naruto coaxed, but this only made Hinata more upset.**

**"N-n-no! S-s-stop it! N-N-Naruto-kun! I'm n-n-not going to t-t-tell you wh-wh-who it is!"**

**Naruto was immediately contrite. In the three years since they had become friends, Hinata had gradually overcome her stutter. Now, the only time she stuttered was when she was under extreme emotional distress. Naruto noticed belatedly that she was on the verge of tears. I'm an idiot! Satisfying his curiosity was not worth the price of her tears.**

**"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to upset you. I'll stop. I promise," he said guiltily.**

**"Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun."**

**"But if this guy ever hurts you or makes you cry, I'll kick his ass."**

**"Naruto-kun!"**

**"Okay! Okay!" Naruto grinned unrepentantly. "I won't kick his ass. How about I just break a few bones?"**

**"Naruto-kun!"**

**Hinata didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was threatening himself on her behalf. He didn't love her the way that she loved him, but he did love her as a precious, best friend. It was enough, for now. In the end, she settled for smiling weakly.**

* * *

At this point, Hinata felt like beating her head against a wall. If only she could have just been honest!

* * *

**Hinata finished applying the last bandage. She was done, except for one thing. One thing that she'd always wanted to do for Naruto, except she'd never dared. Was she braver today, than she was yesterday? Was she more confident today, than she was yesterday? Could she do this one thing today, that she had been afraid to do yesterday?**

**Yes.**

**"Thanks, Hinata-chan," Naruto examined the bandages he now sported. "You did a great job fixing me up. Some of the cuts still sting a little though."**

**"Wait, Naruto-kun. There's one more thing I want to do."**

**Hinata leaned forward and gently kissed the bandages over his knees. She cupped his hands in hers and gently kissed the bandages over his palms. Finally, she moved up to his forehead and kissed the bandage over his temple.**

* * *

Staring at the two kids before him, the blonde Genin slumped into Hinata's embrace. "I really am an idiot, aren't I?"

Thankfully, no one bothered to confirm this, since his actions spoke for themselves.

* * *

**"There," Hinata smiled shyly at Naruto. "I kissed it better. Did it work?"**

**It did.**

**Naruto beamed.**

* * *

Jiraiya slapped his forehead. "That's it, the kid needs a proper introduction to how to talk with women sooner rather than later. There was no excuse for being so clueless!"

* * *

**That night, Naruto lay awake wondering about the mysterious boy Hinata liked.**

_**I was just joking around earlier. If this guy ever makes Hinata-chan cry, I'm not going to kick his ass or break his bones. I'm going to fucking kill him after I make sure he's suffered immensely.**_

* * *

Looking at the blonde, Sasuke almost let out a laugh. The looser was so pathetic he was contemplating suicide because he could not get a clue.

* * *

**Naruto yawned sleepily.**

**Going to have to hide the body though... Don't want Hinata-chan finding out and getting upset for no reason...**

**And with that final thought, Naruto drifted into dreamless slumber.**

* * *

Authors Notes

Ugh, it s been too long again hasn't it?

The last few months have been rather crazy. I've been fighting tooth and nail for my promotion at work, Anime Boston happened with all its chaotic glory (a shout out to Aurabolt for his excellent fanfiction panel on Sunday and willingness to review Naruto Fanfiction despite not really being interested in the genre) and I have either been sick or tapped for some social obligation the rest of the time. Not to mention a personal goal of actually watching some of the Anime and reading the Manga I bought at said con.

On that note, I heard the stories but didn't realize that Utena is really that screwed up in the head. On the other hand, High School of the Dead is kind of morbidly funny if that makes any sense.

I will not promise to increase the levels of production any time soon. Real Life has been kicking my ass too frequently and effectively for that to be guaranteed. But I have not lost interest, and do plan on completing my works. Heck, I even have the beginnings of a sequel to Shifting Connections beating around in the old noggin.

Thanks for putting up with my ramblings, and keep a look out. This author is far from finished!


	6. Keep it simple stupid!:OSS Chapter 9a

No I don't own Naruto. I totally would have stabbed Jiraiya repeatedly for his training methods, or lack thereof.  
Also, just to mess with things a bit, the **highlighted** sections are the work of the ever talented Shawny Wong. Alas, this will be the last time we deal with her genius, at least in regards to this world.

Enjoy!

The Controlled Chaos of Free Will - Chapter Six

Keep it simple stupid!

**Universal Coordinates - 4139575/10**  
**Universal Coordinator - Shawny Wong **  
**Universal Identification - One Small Step **  
**Time Stamp - Blowing a Kiss**

* * *

Feeling a shuddering twitch start at the tips of her toes to the ends of her ponytail, Anko knew she could not take another minute of this crap. "Alright buddy, how much longer are we going to be dealing with this fluff? I mean, sure two kids with crappy childhoods get together and find friendship. It's great, lovely, and a big barrel of laughs all around. But if you make me sit through one more second of this sugary sweetness, then I'm sending you my dentist bill! You answered the girls question already, let's just move on!"

Quirking an eyebrow at the flustered Special Jonin, Vortex shook his head. "Now, now my dear, there's no reason to be rude. I do my best to uphold my end of any bargain I'm involved in, and this was just too good to pass up. Besides, while most of her question has been answered, there's more to it than seeing if the blonde kid could figure out girls weren't icky a couple of years earlier than his peers." With that, the two children in question blushes turned a deeper scarlet. Honestly, it was beginning to get a little concerning to those around them.

Leaning back in the air, the figure continued. "The first goal was to demonstrate what would have happened to their relationship if Hinata was a little braver back at the Academy. The second point was to demonstrate how their potential as both ninja and people could be changed by said relationship. Things only evolve from this point. Thanks to Naruto's little crush over Sakura, and the confrontation that followed, they simply remain friends, although that could change with the way things continue to develop. However, between Naruto's thick headedness and Hinata's shyness, it takes years for something new to occur. But if you're really bored, why don't we skip ahead a bit more than usual?"

Before anyone could react, Vortex snapped his fingers, causing the scene to rapidly shift forward. Before the startled ninja, they observed years of the two interacting in mere seconds. Hinata was shocked to see her younger form standing up to the elder council and father multiple times while Naruto was shocked by how much better he seemed to be doing. But before long, they were facing younger versions that were just a single year younger than their current ages. The Academy Exam had come once again.

* * *

**Naruto slowly dropped to the ground panting and took deep breaths to restore oxygen to his exhausted body. He was dirty, dead tired, and so very hungry that he'd passed the stomach aching stage and moved on to the light headed stage long ago! He hadn't slept in three days and hadn't eaten in two. Despite his physical discomforts, he was elated. If he'd had the energy, he'd be jumping for joy.**

_**I did it! I finally mastered the bushin no jutsu!**_

* * *

Gaping at the scene before them, Naruto wondered how the hell that had happened.

* * *

**He looked around the tiny clearing at the seven...**

**_Seven!_**

**...clones of himself. They all looked _just_ like him with the same dirty grass stains on their identical orange T-shirts, complete with matching twigs in their hair. None of them were deformed! Not a single one looked unhealthy or pale! He _finally_ mastered his worst technique the one that would have prevented him from graduating with Hinata and it was all thanks to her.**

* * *

Blushing, Hinata looked down. No matter how many examples they saw, some part of her just barely accepted the truth of the matter. The simple fact was that she could have been just as much of an influence on Naruto as he was upon her. The results were both gratifying and depressing at the same time.

* * *

**Naruto had always had poor chakra control. He'd had no idea why his chakra control was so bad until Hinata used her Byakugan to examine his chakra coils more closely when they were ten. She found them to be unusually large and almost constantly full no matter how often he performed the standard Academy techniques. He didn't understand the correlation between large chakra coils and poor chakra control until Hinata used a water analogy to explain it to him. If chakra was like water, then most Academy students had about a bathtub worth of chakra at their disposal; Naruto had small lake at his.**

* * *

Gaping, Kiba looked at the former dead last in shock. "Why the heck do you have so much chakra?"

The older, and thus more properly informed blonde chose not to answer.

* * *

**_"Isn't that a good thing?" he wondered aloud. "More is better. Right?"_**

**Hinata only shook her head. Then she gently explained to him that while more chakra was better for performing more high-ranked jutsu it was a bad thing for chakra control. The more chakra he had, the harder it was to control. Most Academy students could use a cup to pull a percentage of their "water" into productive techniques. Naruto had a cup, too except he had too much "water." Although he pulled the same percent of "water" out, he was actually getting a lot _more_ "water" than all the other students. So his "water" kept spilling out of his cup every time he tried to use it.**

**It wasn't a perfect analogy, but Naruto got it.**

**Too much chakra was bad for learning how to control it.**

* * *

Humming in consideration, Iruka decided to make a note of the analogy for his next class. With a little retooling, it could be a useful example to explain chakra control to the younger years.

* * *

**On the bright side, he would probably have an easier time learning high-ranking, chakra-intensive ninjutsu someday far in the future. Currently, it made learning basic ninjutsu at the Academy _very_ difficult. For some reason, the bushin no jutsu (clone technique) gave him the most trouble. Two weeks before graduation, Naruto was beginning to panic. He still couldn't make proper clones! What was he going to do?**

**_I have to graduate with Hinata. I just have to!_**

* * *

Still a little burned by her earlier rejection, Sakura could not help but think about how cute his reactions were.

It was also horrifically clueless.

* * *

**Just the thought of being separated from Hinata made him sick and panicky. What would he do without his best friend? And if Hinata graduated and became a ninja before he did, then she would be sent out on missions without him. What if she got hurt on a mission because he wasn't there to help her? A tiny part of him wondered why he wanted... _needed_... to stay with Hinata so badly, but the rest of him ruthlessly squashed that tiny part and buried it deep in his subconscious. (Naruto stubbornly refused to examine his feelings for Hinata too afraid of what he might find.)**

* * *

Sighing, Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "He's such a troublesome, blonde idiot."

* * *

_**I just have to graduate with Hinata. That's all.**_

**But that was easier said than done. Until, his brilliant best friend came up with the most brilliant idea ever!**

* * *

At this point, Naruto was cursing whatever fate had prevented a proper meeting between his and the shy Hyuga at that pivotal moment all those years ago. The difference was getting ridiculous!

* * *

**A few days ago**

**"What is chakra?" Hinata asked suddenly at lunchtime. Her chopsticks stopped in midair with a rice ball halfway to her mouth.**

**Naruto looked bemused.**

**"Huh? You know the answer to that already, Hinata-chan. That's stuff we learned when we were seven!"**

* * *

Looking at his teammate, Sasuke deadpanned, "Then why did you need to relearn it when we went to Wave Country?"

Refusing to meet the Uchiha's gaze, the blonde seemed to occupy himself with whistling innocently.

* * *

**"Humor me, Naruto-kun," Hinata said slowly. "I think I have an idea."**

**"Chakra is the combination of mental, physical, and spiritual energies in the body."**

**" combination of mental, physical, and spiritual energies " she muttered. "What if what if we're doing it all wrong?"**

**"What do you mean? Doing what all wrong?" Naruto asked completely lost.**

* * *

Blinking, Shikamaru sighed. It was so troublesomely obvious that it hurt his head that the others had not figured it out yet.

* * *

**"We've been trying to improve your chakra control to the point where you can perform the bushin no jutsu properly. Right? Improving chakra control takes a long time a lifetime even, if you want to become a medic-nin especially since your natural chakra reserves are so high. We don't have that much time because graduation is in less than two weeks."**

**"Yeah," Naruto agreed glumly. He put aside his cup ramen at the reminder of his impending doom. He wasn't hungry anymore.**

* * *

Remembering just how frustrated he had been about the situation, Naruto could not even bring himself to curse the younger figure for wasting the holy cup of ramen.

* * *

**"What if you had smaller chakra stores... temporarily? If you had the same amount of chakra as a normal Academy student, wouldn't your control be just as good? It might even be better considering how often you practice the chakra control exercises from that training scroll," she said, referring obliquely to the Hyuuga training scroll she had copied for him.**

* * *

Gaping at the alternate figure of his cousin, Neji turned to the blushing Hinata of their own party. "Hinata-sama, what your younger self is describing would have been a very serious offense! What could you possibly have been thinking?"

Firming her stance, the younger girl fixed him with a steady gaze that lacked the slightest trace of fear. "I would have thought that Naruto-kun needed my help and that I would do my best to provide it."

* * *

**"Yeah. But we tried that already. Remember? I can't burn through enough chakra fast enough. All we know are D-ranked Academy jutsu! I can perform those all day and all night and not drain my chakra significantly. And as soon as I get a little bit of rest, I'm back up at 100 percent!" It was odd how quickly he recovered his chakra.**

* * *

Frowning, Naruto resisted the urge to grab his younger self hand shake him. The anticipation of his first loss on innocence was almost painful.

* * *

**"Mental, physical, and spiritual energies." Hinata ticked off each point with her fingers and turned to him in excitement. "You can't drain enough chakra by using the D-ranked techniques we know. But what if you drained chakra's component energies? I don't know how to drain spiritual energy, but what about _mental and physical _energies? Couldn't you drain _those_?"**

**Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yes!"**

* * *

Snorting, Jiraiya rubbed his temples. "Somehow, I don't think this is going to be as easy or fun as they think."

* * *

**Naruto forced himself to stay awake three nights in a row. To further drain his mental energy, he spent those nights studying and reviewing all the genin-level training scrolls Hinata checked out of the Konoha Library for him.**

* * *

Blinking, Sakura looked at the scene in confusion. "Wait, I thought that you needed a ninja license to get access to that material?"

Smirking, Ino looked at her old friend in mock pity. "Clan members can get a special dispensation due to our established in house security procedures."

* * *

**He even borrowed several basic science textbooks from Iruka-sensei and read them from cover to cover! By the start of each morning, his head was swimming with facts and he was so mentally exhausted that he wasn't sure he could spell his own name anymore! The days were no easier than the nights. He skipped out on the last two days of classes in order to put himself through an intense physical workout that would have made Gai-sensei proud. He alternated between laps, conditioning exercises, and katas for hours on end. He didn't give himself any time to rest because he was afraid that he would fall asleep if he did. To further drain his physical energy, he skipped his meals, too. By the end of three days, Naruto was so physically exhausted that if he had to spar against a rabbit _right now_, Naruto was _sure_ that the rabbit would win.**

* * *

Smiling, Gai-sensei flashed the young blonde a thumbs up. "That's the way to stoke your flames of youth!"

* * *

**Then came the moment of truth.**

**_"Bushin no jutsu!"_**

**Seven perfect clones popped into existence.**

**_Yes! I did it!_ Naruto dropped to the ground ecstatic and completely worn out.**

**"Congratulations, Naruto-kun! I knew you could do it!"**

**"Thanks, Hinata-chan. I couldn't have done it without you." Naruto looked up at Hinata and gave her a tired grin. "It was your idea. You are absolutely brilliant!"**

**Naruto closed his eyes and attempted to stifle a yawn, so he didn't see the instant blush that colored Hinata's cheeks at his words.**

* * *

The observing blonde Genin, on the other hand, DID notice and could not help but smile at the image.

* * *

**"Oh man! I'm so tired and hungry! At least, I mastered the bushin no jutsu in time for graduation!" He was suddenly struck by an unpleasant thought. Naruto groaned in dismay. "Oh no! I have to do this again right before graduation, don't I?"**

**Hinata giggled at the pitiful look on his face.**

**"I'm afraid so, Naruto-kun. Cheer up! You made perfect clones. Now that you can do the bushin no jutsu, the graduation exam will be a breeze for you. Here," she said pulling an enormous bento box out of her backpack. "I made you lunch."**

**"Thanks, Hinata-chan! You're a lifesaver!"**

* * *

Rubbing his temples, Iruka could not help but wonder if it was time to review the graduation procedures for the Academy. While a Jinchuuriki was sure to have certain special needs when it came to chakra control, he should not have needed to starve himself in order to pass. Clearly, someone had dropped the ball in Naruto's case, and where one ball dropped, more were sure to follow.

So how many students needed that extra help in order to pass and did not receive it?

* * *

**The day of their graduation exam was bright and sunny with not a single cloud in the sky.**

**Instead of their normal morning classes, students in their last year of the Academy gathered in the main dojo for the first of three exams: the taijutsu exam. It was held tournament style. Students didn't have to win their matches to pass the taijutsu portion of the final exam as long as they demonstrated proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. Points were awarded based on performance. However, the taijutsu tournament was also used to rank the students within the class and extra points were awarded based on rank. (The winner of the tournament automatically received an additional thirty points. The second ranked student received 25 additional points. And the student who placed last in the tournament received no additional points.)**

* * *

Raising an eyebrow at the system, Temari mentally debated the pros and cons of adapting it for Suna's own Academy model. On one hand, the competition would be good for pushing students past their limits. On the other hand, such a focus on rank got you self centered brats like the Uchiha while making you underestimate idiotic blondes. After all, which was the better ninja; one who demonstrated superior strength or one whose strength was unknown until absolutely needed.

It was something to discuss with the council members in charge of the project in any case.

* * *

**Though Naruto who had not slept nor eaten in the last two days before the exam was not at his best, he still managed to rank within the top five. Under the circumstances, Naruto was amazed that he'd done so well. Years of hard work and training under Maito Gai had given him skills in taijutsu that were far superior to most of his peers. He won his first three matches quickly even though he was fighting on autopilot and moving slower than normal. (Naruto silently thanked his lucky stars for giving him opponents that sucked at taijutsu!) Unfortunately, the opponent for his forth match was Uchiha Sasuke and Sasuke was no pushover. Fighting against Sasuke required more speed, energy, and concentration than Naruto had to give. After a few minutes, Naruto was a split second too slow to dodge a roundhouse kick and was unceremoniously knocked out of the ring.**

* * *

Seeing such a cheap victory, something in Sasuke twitched. If he was going to defeat the blonde, then he wanted it to be a battle of equals. Winning when the other ninja was fighting at such a handicap was almost an insult to him and his eventual goals.

* * *

**Naruto grimaced. He had passed the taijutsu portion of the exam with flying colors and ranked better than he had expected. But He had lost to Sasuke of all people! Why couldn't he have lost to Hinata? Or Shino? Even losing to Kiba would have been better than losing to Sasuke!**

**_The bastard's too stuck up by far. Ugh! His I'm-better-than-you attitude makes me want to puke. Now he's going to be unbearable. He'll rub this win in my face for years. I just know it! I'm sure I could have won if only..._**

**Naruto's stomach growled. He sighed.**

**._..if only I'd had breakfast first._**

**The second exam took place in their regular classroom. It was a written exam that touched on all the subjects they had learned throughout their years at the Academy, including history and basic strategy. After staying up two nights in a row studying scrolls and reading science textbooks not to mention years of Hinata's studious influence Naruto could have passed the written exam in his sleep. As it was, the hardest part of the written exam was trying to stay awake long enough to finish taking it!**

* * *

Kiba shook his head. "I know the reasons for it, but seeing a book smart Naruto is really creepy."

* * *

**"Naruto-kun? Are you okay?"**

**"What?" Naruto jumped in surprise and looked around the empty classroom. When had they collected the written exams? "Oh. Hinata-chan. Sorry about that. I must have spaced out. Did you say something?"**

* * *

Shaking his head ruefully, Kakashi sighed. "At least he answered the questions properly before turning it in."

* * *

**Hinata bit her lip. She didn't like seeing him so exhausted. And...**

**_This is all my fault!_**

**"Would you like to go outside? We have an hour before the ninjutsu exam. We don't have to be back here until after lunch."**

**Naruto's stomach growled again and he wanted to cry. The ninjutsu exam just had to be the third and _last_ exam of the day!**

* * *

Shuddering, Chouji looked at his friend in sympathy. No one should have to go hungry just to pass a test.

* * *

**"No thanks, Hinata-chan." Naruto made a face. "I'm skipping lunch today. Why don't you go ahead? I think I'll stay here."**

**"I'm... I'm not hungry," Hinata said semi-truthfully. She couldn't eat knowing that it was her entire fault Naruto was starving himself. "I'd rather stay here, too " _With you_.**

* * *

Frowning, Kurenai sighed. "Your loyalty is admirable Hinata, but neither of you would be happy if your own test was sabotaged because of this."

* * *

**"Are you sure?" Naruto asked skeptically.**

**Hinata nodded.**

**"You don't have to skip lunch because of me."**

**"I'm not!"**

**"Yes, you are." Naruto smiled when she blushed. "You're a terrible liar."**

**Still It made him happy that she wanted to keep him company.**

* * *

Shooting another look at the girl, Naruto grinned. He did not want anything to happen to her, but having someone willing to share his suffering was a sensation he could really get used to.

* * *

**"All right, Naruto. You need to perform the bushin no jutsu to pass the ninjutsu part of the final exam. Are you ready?"**

**"Yes, Iruka-sensei."**

**Naruto eyed the shiny new ninja headbands on the desk in front of Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei, the silver-haired assistant-teacher. Each one had the leaf emblem of Konoha engraved on a metal plate that was sewn onto the fabric. He had dreamed of owning one of those for years. He was so close!**

_**The bushin no jutsu is the one thing I'm not very good at. But... I have to do this!**_

_**"Bushin no jutsu!"**_

**The bursts of smoke from the creation of many clones blinded Iruka for a moment. When the smoke cleared, Iruka was looking at a dozen Narutos. The original and eleven perfect clones! Iruka gaped.**

* * *

Jumping into the air, Naruto yelled, "Yes!" at the top of his lungs. All of that suffering his younger version had dealt with finally paid off!

* * *

**"What do you think, Sensei? Do I pass?" Twelve matching blondes laughed at the flabbergast expressions on his teachers' faces.**

**Iruka shook his head and berated himself for underestimating his favorite student.**

* * *

Looking at his younger self, Iruka could not help but sigh. He really had been quite short sighted back then.

* * *

**_I was actually worried about Naruto not passing. He could never perform a working clone before, but now he just made eleven! What a guy..._ Iruka grinned ruefully. _He's certainly a surprising student. I should have known he'd find a way._**

**"Congratulations, Naruto! That's an impressive number of clones. Most students only produced three clones. I think I can even give you a few points for extra credit. What do you think, Mizuki-sensei?"**

**"Oh, certainly. That many clones! Naruto should get a few extra points for that," Mizuki smiled pleasantly. "Congratulations, Naruto. You surprised me."**

**"You pass," Iruka said as he handed Naruto his new hitai-ate Naruto accepted it with a trembling hand.**

**"I did it! Yes!"**

**Neither Iruka nor Naruto noticed the dark look that crossed Mizuki's face in that moment.**

* * *

Shikamaru, on the other hand, did notice it and blinked in confusion. Why was Mizuki-sensei looking at Naruto like that?

* * *

**The grounds immediately outside the Academy building were overflowing with people. Many parents had come to the Academy on this special day to congratulate their children on a job well done. (Hyuuga Hiashi was not one of them.) Even the Sandaime was there; he had stopped by to make a speech and to congratulate all the new graduates. To avoid the crowd and the dark looks being shot in Naruto's direction Naruto and Hinata searched for a more secluded spot. They found it a short distance away: a lonely wooden swing hanging from a tall tree bordering the premises. Hinata sat on the swing rocking back and forth slightly. Her feet never left the ground. Naruto leaned against the trunk of the tree and relaxed.**

**"We did it, Hinata-chan! We passed! We're finally ninja!" Naruto was practically dancing on air. In his excitement, he had forgotten all about his hunger and exhaustion. Who cared about food and sleep? He was a real ninja!**

* * *

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto thanked anyone who would listen that he would not have to use the same method to graduate this time.

* * *

**"Yes, we did." Hinata giggled at his enthusiasm and at the way Naruto constantly reached up to adjust and readjust his hitai-ate. He wore it proudly on his forehead. Hers was tied comfortably around her neck.**

**"This is so awesome! We'll get to take missions outside of the village now! We can go places and see things! Maybe we'll get to protect a feudal lord! Or rescue a princess! We can "**

**Hinata tried her best to be happy as she listened to her best friend talk about the future. She didn't want to ruin Naruto's moment. She was honestly happy that they had passed. But at the same time, she wished with all her heart that they hadn't. Graduation meant being placed on a genin team and being sent out on missions. Graduation meant no more lazy days at the Academy. Most of all, graduation meant that she would no longer get to see Naruto every day.**

**(It _hurt_ that Naruto didn't seem bothered by that at all. Wouldn't he miss her, too?)**

* * *

Breath catching in her throat, Sakura suddenly put it together. "He doesn't realize what this means yet, does he?"

Blinking, Ino nodded, unable to comment based upon the sudden shock of that realization.

Naruto was a little confused, but let it slide so that he could pay attention to what was happening.

* * *

**"...and I'm taking another step towards becoming the Hokage!"**

**Naruto glanced over at his friend concerned. Hinata was too quiet. She hadn't said a single word in the last few minutes. In fact, she looked sad. "Hinata-chan? What's wrong? Why aren't you happy?"**

**"It's nothing, Naruto-kun," Hinata forced a smile. "I'm just sad that things are changing."**

**"Cheer up, Hinata-chan! This is good change. Now we can go on missions together and show everyone what we can do!" he said encouragingly. At his words, Hinata was even more distressed than before.**

**"Missions together?" her face fell. "That's just it, Naruto-kun. I I thought you knew. We we're not going to go on missions together."**

* * *

Blinking, Naruto gaped at the scene before him before turning to glare at a suddenly nervous Chunin. "Iruka-sensei, why does Hinata-chan think that we are not going to be working together? Even an idiot like me can see it's only due to our friendship that I got so far. You wouldn't be trying to sabotage that, would you?" The borderline anger was clearly felt, despite the older Hinata's efforts at keeping him calm.

Gulping, the Chunin sighed. "Naruto, you are a much stronger ninja in this time line and from what I have seen Hinata is a stronger Kunoichi. However, the village works towards the betterment of the majority rather than the minority. So yes, I would have probably suggested separate team placements, not to undermine your own efforts but to improve the chances of others." With that statement, Naruto's look of betrayal was increased to its maximum potential.

The tension was broken by a sudden snap of the fingers. Turning, the various ninja looked into the gaze of their captor and shuddered at his expression. It was far too playful for such an atmosphere. "Why don't we focus on the scene before us boys and girls? Things are about to reach a focal point and I would hate to miss one of those."

* * *

**Naruto froze and he stared at her in shock. _Not... together_?**

**"_What_? What do you mean by that?"**

**"Don't you remember? As new genin, we'll be assigned to teams for missions and training."**

**"Yeah. So?"**

**"We're not going to be placed on the same team," Hinata said softly.**

**"Why not?" Naruto demanded. "We make a great team!"**

* * *

Frowning, Kakashi could only nod his agreement. As the foremost proponent of teamwork in the ninja ranks of Konoha, he knew a winning combination when he saw one. Hopefully, his analogue would request the two together in order to break his failure streak.

* * *

**"The teams are organized so that all the teams will be balanced. For example, the Rookie of the Year is often placed with a mid-ranked student and the lowest-ranked student in the class. You and I we're ranked too high and too close together for them to place us on the same team."**

**It was true.**

**After all the scores had been totaled, Sasuke was named the Rookie of the Year beating out Naruto by a small margin. (Naruto had grumbled about that a little if only he hadn't been so tired during the taijutsu exam!) Naruto had ranked second. And Hinata had ranked third.**

* * *

Seeing that, Sasuke felt another twitch coming on. His position should never have been handed to him because of such a handicap.

* * *

**"You mean,,, " Naruto stared wide-eyed at Hinata.**

**"Yes. It's likely that we'll be put in separate teams."**

**"They can't do that!"**

**But they could; they probably would. And Naruto knew it.**

**"Don't they ever make exceptions?" he asked almost desperately.**

* * *

Sighing, Tsunade drawled. "Ah don t you love how Nepotism is the backbone of any properly working bureaucracy?"

* * *

**Hinata nodded slowly.**

**"Yes. Sometimes, but... " she bit her lip, "but usually only when they're putting together a specific team that they know will work together, like the famous Shika-Ino-Cho team. No matter what their scores are or how they ranked, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji will probably be on the same team. That's because their fathers and grandfathers worked so well together and their families' fighting styles are so complementary. During the last Great Ninja War, the Shika-Ino-Cho team was vital to the success of many battles.**

**"Our circumstances are different. There's no real reason to make an exception for us."**

* * *

Keeping his glowering gaze on his favorite Sensei, Naruto snorted. "You know, besides the fact that I obviously wouldn't do anywhere near as good without your help, now would I?"

He smelled a rat, and it was not the sort of thing he was willing to let go.

* * *

**_That's not fair!_ Naruto wanted to shout except he knew better than anyone that life was never fair. So he held his tongue. The only signs of his distress were white knuckles followed by a string of expletives that made Hinata blush.**

**Naruto's joy at finally graduating evaporated like drops of water under the desert sun. An unhappy silence fell upon them.**

* * *

Giving his student a look, Kakashi mentally sighed. He could only guess how the blonde felt, and could only hope his analogue made things up to him when the new teams were established.

* * *

**"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata said hesitantly a few minutes later. "I have to go. Father is expecting me home early today and I promised Hanabi-chan that I'd tell her all about the graduation exam. But I'm excused from my lessons tomorrow. Father's advisors are meeting with a trader from Snow Country to negotiate a new contract. Would you like to go to Ichiraku tomorrow? We can celebrate our graduation with a bowl of Ichiraku-san's special ramen."**

**"Yeah. That sounds good," Naruto faked a smile that didn't fool Hinata at all. Not even the thought of Ichiraku's special ramen could cheer him up. "See you tomorrow, Hinata-chan."**

**As he watched her walk away, Naruto clamped down on a sudden urge to run after her and stop her from going. He straddled the swing that Hinata had just vacated and tried to ignore the horrible thought that Hinata was leaving him. He was being stupid. Hinata was just going home. He'd see her again tomorrow. Then he'd see her again on Monday for their genin team assignments. And even if they ended up on different genin teams, Hinata would never abandon him.**

* * *

At that moment, the slightly older blonde Genin knew exactly what the boy on the swing was feeling. It was the sensation of victory snatched away by an uncaring world that you could never seem to get ahead in. That sensation was more than enough to give him unwanted flashbacks.

* * *

**_I'm just being stupid. That's all. We'll always be best friends. I know it._**

**But it wasn't enough! The sick feeling inside him refused to go away. When he finally lost sight of Hinata in the distance, that sick feeling only intensified. In her absence, the muttered whispers that he barely noticed before were suddenly as loud as if they were being yelled directly into his ears.**

**"Hey, that kid over there Isn't he that kid? What were they thinking allowing someone like him to pass?"**

**"Hmph. It doesn't matter if he has a _hitai-ate_. He's still a disgrace."**

**"Maybe he'll die on a mission. Let's hope he does."**

**"If he becomes a ninja, it's only going to cause trouble because he's really "**

**"Shh! It's forbidden to say anything more than that."**

* * *

Jaw dropping, Ino shot her teammates a look. Already Chouji was paling at the harsh words from his father, while Shikamaru was frowning into his thinking pose. They had gotten glimpses before, but this had to be the most extreme case of hatred that the group had seen so far.

Somehow, that just gave her a feeling that things were about to get worse.

* * *

**Naruto closed his eyes. He wished he could close his ears, too. He touched the new hitai-ate on his forehead. He'd worked hard to earn it. But now he almost wanted to give it back. He wanted to stay at the Academy for another year where he was guaranteed to see Hinata every single day.**

* * *

Gulping, the older Hyuga Kunoichi grabbed her crushes hand in a moment of support. She would have probably wished the same thing if their places were reversed.

* * *

**_There has to be a way for us to be on the same team! I need to find Iruka-sensei!_ As their teacher, Iruka had to have some influence in how the teams were put together. If I ask him, maybe he'll put me on Hinata's team.**

**A lonely wooden swing swayed in the breeze.**

* * *

Frowning, Naruto began to wonder why he was getting a sensation of deja vu about a scene that had never happened in his lifetime.

* * *

**30 minutes ago**

**Iruka clapped politely at the end of the Hokage's speech. It was inspirational, as always. The Hokage was a very good public speaker. But after hearing similar speeches year after year, it was hard to get really excited about it as the new graduates and their parents obviously were. Now that the ceremony was over, it was time for the Academy teachers to mingle with parents and ex-students. Graduation Day always made him feel a bit nostalgic.**

* * *

Feeling the burning yet subdued of one of his favorite students, Iruka fought to keep from flinching. He knew that, once this was all over, he was probably going to go bankrupt at Ichiraku's in order to get back in the young blondes good graces.

* * *

**Iruka was surprised when the Hokage moved through the crowd to stand beside him. He dipped his head in respect.**

**"Hokage-sama."**

**"Iruka, I need to talk to you later. Come by my office after you're done here."**

**Iruka felt a flicker of concern. What did the Hokage want to talk about? But the Hokage's neutral expression gave nothing away.**

**"Yes, sir."**

* * *

Having much more experience with the looks of his Sensei than Iruka, Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow.

Somehow, he had a feeling that Naruto and his little girl friend were in for a nice little surprise.

* * *

**"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto burst into the teacher's lounge in the Academy building and came to an abrupt stop. "Oh! Mizuki-sensei! I didn't know you were still here, too."**

* * *

Thinking back to his time in the Academy, Naruto went white. He knew JUST how this was going to develop now and it left him feeling terrified.

* * *

**Iruka was sitting at the end of a long conference table making small talk with Mizuki. Both of his teachers looked surprised to see him, but Mizuki recovered first.**

**"Hello, Naruto," Mizuki said with a smile. "Iruka and I were just reminiscing about your class. Time sure flies! I remember when you were the dead last student in the class."**

* * *

Frowning at her former Sensei, Ino wondered about the odd look in his eye while saying that.

* * *

**Naruto colored in embarrassment. "Yeah. I got better though!"**

**"You certainly did!" Iruka agreed. "I'm very proud of you Naruto. You've come a long way."**

**"Thanks, Iruka-sensei!"**

**"What are you doing here? Did you need something?" Iruka asked kindly.**

**"I have a really, really big favor to ask you, Iruka-sensei."**

**"What is it, Naruto?"**

**"It's about our genin team assignments. You're the one who organizes the new genin teams, right? So you're the one who chooses the people we'll be working with, right?"**

* * *

Groaning, Tsunade decided that she needed to give the kid a few lessons in subtlety before too much longer. He was not going to last very long against thinkers like the Nara clan if he could not understand how to properly phase a request that simple.

* * *

**Iruka blinked in surprise at the blonde's strange line of questions.**

**"It's not quite so simple, Naruto," he explained. "As your teacher, I make some recommendations. I don't make all the decisions. The Hokage and all of the jounin who are going to teach a genin team will review your files and Academy grades. They're the ones who make the final decisions."**

**"But you're our teacher, so your recommendations carry a lot of weight. Right?"**

**Iruka nodded, puzzled by the hopeful glint in Naruto's eyes.**

**"Then can you please, please recommend that Hinata and I go on the same team?"**

**_Ah... So that's what you want._ Now Naruto's questions made sense. Iruka shook his head ruefully. I should have seen it coming.**

**"I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't make a recommendation just because you want me to. The teams are often chosen based on a number of factors, including ranking and grades. It's a system that's been proven to work again and again. We do that to ensure all the teams are balanced."**

* * *

Snorting, Naruto glared at the figure in front of them. "Yeah, except when it comes to me, right?"

Blinking at the venom in his tone, Hinata threw her crush a concerned look.

* * *

**"Please, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto begged. "Can't you make an exception just this once?"**

**"I'm sorry. I can't "**

**Naruto almost growled in frustration. How was he going to convince Iruka to put them on the same team?**

**"Kilohertz!" he blurted. "It's like Hinata and I we have kilohertz!"**

**At Iruka's blank expression Naruto cursed silently. He wasn't explaining himself properly! His lack of sleep was finally catching up with him. He was struggling to put together a coherent sentence let alone a coherent argument! He took a deep breath and tried to focus**

**One of the last topics they'd covered in class before graduation was communication devices used in the field including short wave radios. Iruka had glossed over the science behind radios in class because all they really needed to know was how to use a radio not how to build one. However, in his efforts to exhaust his mental energy, Naruto had borrowed several very basic science textbooks from Iruka's personal collection one of which had been a simple book on the physics of harmonics He had re-read it that morning, just before the start of the first exam.**

**kilohertz something to do with kilohertz and That's it! Naruto snapped his fingers.**

**"Wait! It wasn't kilohertz. It was frequency! Hinata and I we have resonance frequency!"**

**" resonance frequency?" Iruka asked bemused.**

* * *

Jaw dropping, Sakura shot the blonde a look of utter shock. She got the reference, but what was most surprising was that the Naruto speaking actually got it as well. This kid was NOT the dead last of the Academy that was for damn sure.

Although her teammate was not really either, was he?

* * *

**"In that book you loaned me Simple Physics, Volume Two: the Science of Harmonics. Remember? Things in nature have a natural frequency. And if you find that frequency you have resonance! And if you have resonance, then a small, applied force can become big! Really big!"**

**Iruka rocked back on his heels stunned at Naruto's choice of analogy. True, he had loaned the book to Naruto two weeks ago, but he hadn't really expected Naruto to actually read it, understand it, and then use it in an argument against him!**

**_Naruto constantly surprises me. I should be used to it by now._**

**"Naruto Did you read that book?"**

**"Yes."**

**"The _whole_ book?"**

**"Yes!"**

**"And you understood it?"**

**"Yes!" Naruto huffed and crossed** **his arms in annoyance. Geez! Okay. So academics wasn't one of his strengths and he wasn't like Hinata or Sakura who seemed to absorb everything that was put in writing but he wasn't that bad! Was he? Was he?**

**"Well I didn't understand all of it, but I understood enough, I think."**

* * *

Kiba gulped at the speculative looks on both his sister and Sensei's faces. He just knew if he let on the argument made no sense to him, the next three weeks would be filled with homework and teasing about being the classes true dead last. That was NOT the sort of thing he wanted to deal with.

* * *

**Naruto shook his head impatiently.**

**"That's not the point. The point is Hinata and I We're better together than apart. If you put us on the same team, you'll get resonance frequency. We work well together. We already have amazing teamwork! We can predict each other's moves because we train together all the time. But if you put us on different teams, then you won't get that same resonance frequency. Our separate teams won't be as nearly as effective as the two of us together."**

**"I'm impressed, Naruto. That's a very good argument. But I can't... "**

* * *

Blinking, Shizune looked over at the corporeal instructor, "I don't quite understand, Iruka-san. His arguments are well founded and properly presented for the most part. It seems perfectly reasonable to at least make the suggestion."

Sighing, Iruka-sensei shook his head. "The part that he..I'm... that person is leaving out is the involved Jonin and Clan Politics that usually go into the team selection process. Whenever I make a suggestion, it won't go anywhere unless it works within the guidelines of an existing request. For example, some Jonin will be invested in getting particular students such as the Uchiha Heir, while Clan Heads will do their best to ensure that their members are teamed with friendly allies. Only the Hokage actually has the pull to make what Naruto wants a reality. If I attempted something like that, I might even be written up or demoted for my presumption."

Snorting, Anko shot the Chunin a look. "That didn't stop you from demanding to administer a proficiency exam to the rookies before the Chunin Exam, ne?"

Feeling the surprised looks from his former students, Iruka nervously adjusted his collar. "Please Anko-san, not right now."

* * *

**"Please!" Naruto pleaded. "I want to be on Hinata's team. I'll do anything you want!"**

**Mizuki watched the argument in silence. (In the heat of the moment, neither Iruka nor Naruto remembered that Mizuki was still in the room.) He wanted to laugh. This was perfect. His plan to use the demon brat had been ruined when it passed the ninjutsu exam. But now Now he had it and an even better plan. He smirked.**

* * *

Growling at the smirking Mizuki, Naruto KNEW he was not going to like this one little bit.

* * *

_**This is too easy. If I play my cards right, I can kill Naruto after all and I'll get the white eyes of the Byakugan. A very nice bonus!**_

* * *

Feeling the dark intentions of her former instructor, Hinata shivered in disgust.

* * *

**"Naruto does make several valid points, Iruka-sensei. Maybe you could make an exception for him," Mizuki said. He saw Naruto's face light up at his supportive words and felt a deep satisfaction. _Raising your hopes, just to crush them later. What a delicious game!_**

**"Mizuki-sensei? You know I can't make decisions based on personal preference." Iruka glared his colleague in disapproval. "I'm very sorry, Naruto."**

* * *

Scowling at the silver haired Chunin, Shikamaru wondered if Mizuki was still at the Academy. Given his actions, it might be a good idea to suggest the man be investigated for potential corruption.

It then occurred to the Nara Heir that he had not seen hide or hair of the man for months, despite Iruka keeping an eye on their graduating class. Something told him that was particularly relevant.

* * *

**Naruto slumped over the waist high railing that enclosed the roof of the Academy building. The Academy building wasn't the tallest building in Konoha, but it was taller than most of the surrounding buildings. From here, he could see most of the village. The sun was low in the sky; its light cast a warm orange glow over everything it touched. It would be sunset soon. It reminded him of Hinata's birthday and the sunset they watched from the Hokage Monument.**

* * *

Seeing the two Genin blush once again, Kurenai fought the urge to giggle at their embarrassment.

* * *

**His hand closed around the pendant that hung over his heart. The tangible symbol of his bond with Hinata made him feel a little bit better.**

* * *

Blinking, Naruto turned to Vortex, trying to ignore the smug expression on his face. "Hey, when did I get that?"

Waving his question off the figure maintained his mysterious smile. "Oh, we skipped over that scene by popular demand. But pay attention, this is one of my favorite parts!"

* * *

**"Iruka-sensei wasn't being mean."**

**Naruto looked up in surprise.**

**"Mizuki-sensei?"**

* * *

Remembering another time that his former instructor had given him such a warm look, the blonde Genin felt his stomach fall like a stone.

The more things change, apparently the more they stay the same.

* * *

**His teacher stood beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.**

**"I can tell you're still very upset. But Iruka-sensei is a good guy. He's just trying to do his best for everyone. Don't be mad at him."**

**"I know," Naruto sighed. Iruka was one of the few people who had always looked out for him. He couldn't stay angry with Iruka for long even if he wanted to. "It's just...want to be on Hinata's team so much!"**

**"Would you really do anything to be on her team?"**

**"Yes!"**

* * *

Knowing what was coming; Iruka felt his own face pale to match Naruto's. No matter how much better a ninja his student might have been, this was not going to end well no matter how you looked at it.

* * *

**"In that case, I guess I'll tell you a big secret."**

**"A secret?"**

**The falling sun cast a blood red tint over the village.**

* * *

Shivering at the suddenly chilly atmosphere, Hana gulped. "Well, that wasn't ominous at all."

* * *

Authors Notes

And with that dramatic conclusion, I am done with this world!

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE this story. I enjoy the way that Shawny Wong is able to weave both Naruto and Hinata into a close and loving relationship any number of ways. I like how they grow and learn together and apart to increase their overall value into something grand. It was one of the reasons that I was honored to receive permission to work with this material in the first place.

That being said, I have an irritable Snake Summoning Kunoichi to deal with and each chapter was making me rather nervous about her reaction. Did you really think Anko could last more than a few scenes of WAFF before she cracked? Well neither did I and testing that one is the last thing I want to attempt.

So now it s time to move on and transition into a new frame of reference. The next chapter will be a transitional break before we start the next question a la Kurenai! I bet you never figure out what I have her ask!

Now, for those of you who have been following the purge, Sage of Seals, the author who originally inspired this fiction in the first place, has had his own story Naruto Reads Naruto taken down. He' relocating it to yourfanficion under his original pen name but I plan on keeping this story up for as long as possible. Please keep an eye on my profile page if this story suddenly disappears, because that's when I will set up my own account elsewhere and repost.

In addition, I am also working on an outline for the next chapter for Escape from the Hokage's Hat, but find myself stymied by a developing irritation with the Star Ninja. After actually seeing what the real Kage Level Nations can do, listening to their self serving drivel of a Hoshikage is pissing me off. I fear that might be reflected in the eventual chapter that will hopefully be up within the month. Other than that, thank you for your continued support and patience. So please stay tuned for the next adventure!


	7. A NotSo Lucky Shot in the Dark

No I don't own Naruto. Also, for the moment, I am not going to be using anyone elses material just for a change of pace.

Controlled Chaos of Free Will Chapter Seven

A Not-So Lucky Shot in the Dark

Uzumaki Naruto had never felt so lucky in his life. Oh, sure he was still pissed about being held against his will with a bunch of his closest friends and comrades. But as a trade off, he had gotten to see his true potential realized and found a friendly acquaintance that had the potential to be so much more. For that, he would not go about targeting Vortex for a painful and violent death any time soon. He would retain the threat for future dealings with the bastard, but seeing himself actually happy and thriving was worth a little trauma and incarceration. Although, if Hinata was forced to blush against her will again, all bets were off.

Standing from his pocket of suspended air, their jailer stretched dramatically. "Well, that ends that. I hope that you are satisfied, Hinata-chan. You saw how your path to winning the idiots heart could have started. You saw the potential that would have been unleashed with a bit of courage. But, most importantly, you saw a hint of what might yet come to be. While you have lost some time, there is nothing really stopping you from working together now, is there? After all, teamwork and cooperation is the way of Konoha." Seeing the red tinge on his friend's cheeks, the blonde immediately changed his mind about beating the guy to a pulp as soon as possible.

Still, it was not like he said anything untrue, was it? "Don't worry, Hinata-chan! We'll work together whenever you are ready and get a dozen times stronger, believe it!" Of course, they would have to work around each other's schedules and team missions, but it was clearly going to be worth it. Seeing her hesitant smile was all the conformation that Naruto needed to know he was on the right path.

Of course, that was the point that the old Pervert had to ruin everything. "Well that's nice and all, but I was actually hoping to take you as an apprentice, brat. So any such plans might have to wait for a while. Plus, I'm sure that Kurenai might have something to say about unauthorized cross training with someone on another team." With that, the building moment was broken like a cheap bowl at Ichiraku's.

Rounding on the taller form of Jiraiya, Naruto ground his teeth. "So when were you going to let me know about this? I still haven't made Chunin yet, and I sure as hell am not going to leave my teammates in the dust like that! Plus, we're still getting over the invasion and I'm needed here to help. If there is one thing that I will never do is abandon my village or my comrades!" But despite his passion, the Toad Sage appeared unmoved.

Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi cleared his throat. "I know that you want to help Naruto, but please listen to reason. Jiraiya-sama is much stronger than I am and could help you grow so much more. You want to be Hokage don't you? Well, Jiraiya-sama is the one who trained the Yondaime Hokage. Imagine what he could do to help you on the path to your dream?" With that, the fire seemed to leave the blonde boy's eyes. At least until he heard a familiar and unpleasant chuckling.

Shaking from suppressed mirth, Anoth Vortex almost looked like he was in pain. Noting everyone gazing in his direction, the creature gave up and started laughing. That would have been bad enough. But when the bastard started rolling around and slamming a fist into the suddenly solid air in his hilarity, that was quite enough. "Oi, knock it off you bastard! I don't care what you think or what you pretend to know. One day I WILL be Hokage and that will be the day that makes you choke on that laughter!"

Visibly gaining control of himself, the figure shot the blonde a grin. "Oh, I wasn't laughing at you my dear boy. I, better than anyone, know of the nature and power of your will. The idea of you being Hokage is not really all that funny. Although, I have to admit that the looks on the civilian leadership's faces when you ascend tends to be worth a chuckle or two." Hearing that, Naruto once again felt mollified.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was much less so. "Oh, so what is so funny about us mere mortals this time? You've already demonstrated that you can peep better than anyone else in the history of our planet. What could possibly be so amusing about a training trip to help Naruto that doesn't call into question his dream of being Hokage? I am just dying to know!" The implied threat would have been much more impressive if she had not already proved her inability to cause any harm.

Ignoring her crack about peeping, the figure smirked. "What I found so amusing was the claim that learning under Jiraiya during his training trip will facilitate Naruto's dream of being Hokage in the slightest. I've SEEN that training trip, and the training trip the pervert had with his last apprentice Namikaze Minato. Out of all of his students, those two benefited from such methods the least!" Shaking his head, Vortex seemed absolutely smug. "In fact, the only thing that was true about Kakashi's argument was that Naruto would learn more under Jiraiya than himself. Of course, since that man's training is so pathetic that's not really saying all that much!" With that statement, the figure returned to expressing his hilarity like a three year old.

Gaping like a fish, the Toad Sage pointed at the figure as if trying to find the words to express his shock and dismay. Kakashi on the other hand, was not quite so laid back. "Now I think that you are being a bit harsh. Not to brag, but Jiraiya-sensei and myself are two of the strongest ninja to come out of Konoha in quite some time. Surely under our tutelage Naruto could only grow and prosper?" With that, the figure finally stopped his laughing. Unfortunately for the Jonin, the sudden silence was not as comforting as he might have hoped.

Shaking his head as if the men before him were children, Vortex resumed his seat upon the air. "You know, that would probably be the funniest thing about this situation if it wasn't so sad. You two ARE among the strongest ninja to come out of your village in the last two decades. Both of you have numerous unique skills and pieces of knowledge that could improve Naruto's skills at least one hundred fold. Not to mention any of the other ninja here. But no matter how strong you claim to be, the simple fact of the matter is that neither of you can teach actual ninja skills worth a damn. Either that or you chose not to." Fixing the Toad Sage with a look, his grin turned sadistic. "I mean, pushing Naruto into a canyon in order to force him to use enough chakra to complete his summoning technique? Where's the brilliance in that?"

Leaning back, the grin only seemed to get worse. "In addition, the chances of a promotion after your training trip are roughly seventeen percent! I've lost count of the number of times that Naruto is made Hokage straight from the Genin rank. Then of course, there are the numerous worlds where you constantly ignore his accomplishments time and time again, leaving him a Genin capable of fighting Kage level opponents, like a sword you only pull out for special occasions. All in all, it's really quite ridiculous."

After hearing that little tidbit of information, Naruto felt very, very cold. Ever since the training for the Chunin Exams, he had grown to respect the skills and strength of the Perverted Sanin quite a bit. Those feelings of respect had only increased with his later introduction into the Rasengan. But to discover that someone lazy like Shikamaru would be made a Chunin at twelve yet he would still be facing Kages as a Genin? That put him in a particularly bad mood. Sparing a look at Gaara, he had to wonder if Vortex had a point. Was he just a weapon to use against particularly dangerous enemies? That sure seemed to be how things had been working out lately.

* * *

Seeing the blonde Konoha ninja glance over at him, Gaara decided that was the final piece of the puzzle he needed. Many would assume that, due to his previous homicidal tendencies, the Sand Genin was also too stupid to detect subtleties. The truth was being forced to spend hours awake while everyone around him slept had forced the boy to occupy himself with additional academic studies to keep himself occupied when there was no one around to kill as a distraction. Given how readily people avoided him in Suna it should be no surprise that the amount of time he had devoted to such pursuits was considerable.

Therefore, it was not impossible for him to determine several very important things. First, that his earlier suspicions about the nature of the blonde were correct. Secondly, Konoha had not planned on using him as a weapon like the Yondaime Kazekage had used his son, and thus kept him and his cohort in the dark about his nature. Finally, just as his uncle's death was his own introduction into the realities of his existence, this moment in time was Naruto's own revelation. It was amazing how different and similar they managed to be at the same time.

Clearing his throat, Gaara quirked an eyebrow at someone he thought could be a friend. "Uzumaki Naruto, about the scene we just saw at your Academy. Did something similar actually happen in real life?" It was a simple question, but the blonde's sudden jump was all the confirmation he needed. The Suna ninja would bet his father's fortune that this Mizuki-sensei was the blondes own version of Yashamaru. It was the only thing that made sense.

However, before Naruto could say a thing, the blonde Konoha kunoichi Genin began to speak. He honestly had not bothered to remember the girls name for the simple reason that their interactions were limited to an observed battle that was so embarrassing that it had been forgotten as quickly as he could manage. "Wait, something like this happened before, even with all the changes and stuff?" Turning to the still silent Naruto, her voice managed to become even more piercing. "Is that how you managed to graduate?"

At that point, Iruka-sensei broke in. "What happened that resulted in Naruto's graduation was a tragic and malicious bit of manipulation by a traitor. Mizuki used Naruto as a scapegoat to steal village secrets, but was defeated when he attempted to manipulate Naruto into committing Treason. He's still serving his sentence in prison for his actions. Naruto was passed because he was able to learn the Shadow Clone technique after failing due to his trouble with the clone technique."

Frowning, Hinata shot a glance at their former teacher. "But Iruka-sensei, why wasn't Naruto-kun's chakra control trouble taken into account? I mean, it's not normal for an Academy Student to have that much chakra. I know that certain considerations were made during my taijutsu portion of the exams because of my specialization in the Jyuken. Shouldn't the same have been made for him?" While well meaning, it was clear that these inquiries were bringing the blonde boy pain. Belatedly, Gaara realized that perhaps bringing up this particular issue in an attempt to bond might not have been such a good idea in front of so many who were not in the know about the situation of the blondes status. He was going to have to work harder at this friendship thing.

All speculation stopped with the intervention of the Hokage. "I think that is enough of that. The sooner we move on the sooner we can get out of here. So I believe that it was Kurenai's turn next?" Still grinning like a madman, Vortex nodded his assent. With that, the questions about Naruto's issues were put to the side, at least for the moment.

* * *

Yuuhi Kurenai did her best to maintain a calm facade with all the skill and poise that had earned her the Jonin rank. She was among the strongest ninja in the village, and had been rendered powerless by a being that they could barely begin to comprehend. Her students, who she valued more than life itself, were in great danger and despite what she might want to believe she could not protect them. These facts kept her very nervous when the beam of white light made itself known. Having seen the effect it had upon Hinata-chan, she would have preferred to set her arm on fire than step into that light.

Like any moderately successful Jonin, the kunoichi had a number of secret hopes and wants that she never wanted the world to be made aware of. She had seen the actual effort that Hinata had put into changing her question to something pertinent to the safety of the village and her inability to do so. Hopefully, with her greater experience, the effect could be properly controlled and modified to suit her needs. However, given that this Vortex individual had been capable of containing two of the three Sannin against their will, she did not have high hopes for her success.

Being careful to avoid eye contact with her Hokage or Jiraiya, Kurenai decided that the greatest threat that she could inquire about was Orochimaru. The man was still at large and a major threat to Konoha's security. While it might be a bit of a political embarrassment given that the children of the former Kazekage were in attendance, it was better than bringing up Uchiha Itachi's recent infiltration. Unfortunately, despite her greater skill and mental fortitude, the question that was asked was not what she was expecting and left the Jonin feeling mortified. "In you unique view of the information available who is the best overall Genin Sensei in Konoha?"

Backing away from the light, she began to understand just what her student must have felt. Her feelings of inadequacy as a teacher were one of those secrets so deep in her mind Kurenai did not even acknowledge it on a conscious level. But as a new Jonin with one failed attempt of instruction under her belt, compared to the legendary Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma, it was only natural that she would feel an extra amount of pressure. On top of that she had to deal with three highly placed Genin with personal issues it was almost too much at times. But to have those concerns aired in front of her peers and leadership was just one step too far.

However, she managed to retain her professional stoic facade, despite Vortex's clearly amused grin. If she did not already know how pointless it was, she would have wiped that look off his face with extreme prejudice. Either unaware or ignoring her violent mental images, their captor began his answer. "It's a relatively honest request, but one that is a little difficult to answer. A number of different elements can be taken into account, including the goals of your training and your ability to instruct like a ninja rather than, for example, a samurai. However, I have no problems giving my own honest opinion at this time."

Leaning back in his invisible chair, the figure became contemplative. "If you want to know who the best teacher is in general, then it would be a tie between yourself and Gai actually. Kakashi does not generally have the temperament to be a proper teacher, utilizing short cuts and pigeonholing those he teaches. Asuma is lazy, relying upon the natural alignments of his students talents in order to achieve victory. However, while Gai is a taijutsu specialist he is able to motivate his students properly and maintain a schedule that maximizes their potential as ninja."

Narrowing his eyes, Asuma rebutted. "Not to rag on Kurenai-sensei, but that doesn't seem very fair. Out of every student who competed at the Chunin Exam, only Shikamaru managed to gain the promotion. Meanwhile, two of Kakashi's students managed to progress to the next stage and defeat their opponents, one of which was Gai's strongest Genin. So while I admit that their students are skilled, I don't really think that it's fair to call her better than us." Frowning, Kurenai decided that the smoker had just earned himself a month of being cut off.

Chuckling, their captor shook his head. "I agree that you have some potential, but my analysis is based upon the current team assignments. Now, if the teams were organized differently, then it would be a whole different ball game." That brought the assembled ninja up short, although the Jonin were better able to hide their reactions. It did not matter if you loved them or hated them. Your first team was your second family and changing that after so much time seemed almost perverse.

Rolling his eyes, the man in front of them sighed. "Surely it is not that surprising an idea. Ninja teams change all the time as their members chose different specializations or get promoted. In fact, after things progressed to their natural conclusion in the previous universe, Gai comes out of the wood work and takes both Hinata and Naruto on as members of his own Genin team, having named Rock Lee as his personal apprentice the year before. I've seen practically every combination of teams for the three of you that include the Genin before us and more. Believe me when I say that the combinations before us are far from the best that they could be." Blinking, he then turned to the Suna Team. "Well, with some exceptions of course."

Pointing to Team Gai, Vortex sighed. "First off, while I think that Gai is an excellent instructor, his specialization has left his team a bit of a one dimensional joke. Lee has to be his legacy, so any deviation from his own training pattern is ignored through practice or preference. Tenten is a long range weapon expert with undervalued sealing potential that is being ignored to further polish her already awesome aim. Neji is a prodigy of Jyuken, but like all Hyuga he is trained to ignore alternate techniques as a waste of his valuable time and chakra. The edges in their specialties are razor sharp and their physical stature cannot be ignored, but as ninja not every problem is going to be a nail to hammer down!"

Turning, he then shook his head at Asuma. "Tradition is all well and good, but a ninja should never be so predictable. The Ino-Shika-Cho tradition and formation is powerful but much too well known to be as effective as it once was. However, instead of pushing the limits of what your team could do, you instead focus completely upon the synergy of their formation. An effective tactic does not mean that you can realize the potential of your students by eating together and playing a few board games. I admit that the Chunin Exams were an excellent tool to demonstrate reality to them, but you took a big risk assuming that Shikamaru alone would be enough to keep them alive and in the game. Not only is it unfair to him, but undermines the potential contributions of your other students."

Continuing down the line, he then smirked at Kurenai. "As for you my dear, I have to say I don't have many issues with your teaching ethic. You work your students' hard, focus upon the pros and cons of their individual styles, and are always willing to put them first. These are all facts that support my opinion of your ability as a good Sensei. In fact, Shino would have easily made Chunin in this last exam if he had been allowed to demonstrate his skills in the stadium instead of an ambush. No, my complaints have to do with your lack of personal drive. You work your students hard, but you yourself are so specialized that you allowed your own development to slip. If you could push harder, the effort would easily translate over to your students that much easier." Hearing that brought the kunoichi Jonin a flush of embarrassment, but she managed to hold her tongue.

Turning to face the final Konoha team, the grin slid off the creatures face. "Then of course, we have the most dysfunctional and imbalanced team in the last generation of your village. Kakashi is so focused upon pigeonholing his students that it's just embarrassing! Sakura has naturally perfect chakra control, so of course that means she's a Genjutsu Type. Therefore teaching her the basic dispel and mentioning that she would be good at the technique is more than enough information. Sasuke has the Sharingan, so he's clearly a Ninjutsu type! Therefore, just throw him into a couple of battles and provide the odd hint, and he'll be good to go! Finally, Naruto is only notable as a Taijutsu type, given his lack of fine control and limited Jutsu library. So simply have him fight constantly and ineffectively until he learns from experience! Not only is such an evaluation inaccurate, but this training method only works for the one with a Doujutsu! His teaching style is just as lazy as he is!" By the end of the tirade, Vortex had actually gone red in anger, much to their surprise.

Visibly gathering his earlier resolve, Vortex sighed. "Honestly, one of my personal pet peeves is how much more powerful your groups could be with a little more creativity. Kakashi could be an excellent instructor, but is too lazy. Asuma could be much better than he is, but acts too passively. Kurenai could help her team reach much higher than they currently are but is too timid. Finally, Gai could enrich his team much more effectively, but is too stubborn. All in all, this combination of events is almost enough to encourage me to tear my hair out."

Frowning, Kurenai had to admit that nothing the man had said was wrong per se. That did not mean that she enjoyed having her skills both mocked and disregarded in such a fashion. Nevertheless, this was an excellent opportunity to gather further information for later training. "So, to be clear, if the teams were changed so that I had Naruto instead of Kiba, they would be much more effective?" After all, the Inuzuka's test scores were not much higher than the blondes and most of his fighting ability came from working with Akamaru. If there was anyone she could see exchanging with a stamina nut like Uzumaki it would be him.

Staring into space, the figure suddenly smirked. "By my calculations, any time that Uzumaki Naruto is placed on your team full time, it's overall performance increases by a factor of twenty to seventy percent. Hinata gains a training partner whom she can cut loose against without fear. Shino fights someone who will not fall just because their chakra is drained. Finally, if he is still involved with the team, Kiba gains a friend who can be his equal in enthusiasm and energy. All in all, it's a winning combination." Then his smirk turned vicious. "The only downside that I see is that you tend to die or get seriously injured protecting him from the likes of Akatsuki." That little fact sent a shiver down her spine.

Cracking his knuckles, Vortex smiled an evil smile. "I'll tell you what. Why don't you sit back and see what would happen if the teams were angled a little differently? I did it for Hinata, so it's only fair to demonstrate it once again. What do you say?" Mentally rolling his eyes at the artificially innocent tone, the red eyed Jonin nodded her head. After all, it was mostly academic at this point. Their captor had already proven his invulnerability multiple times, so if he wanted to give them a show, it was not like she could refuse. On that final thought, the scenery changed once more.

* * *

Authors Notes

Yay, I've been productive again!

Sorry to everyone who wanted the next chapter released to be Escape from the Hokage's Hat. While I am still working on it, I ve run into a slight snag. Upon reviewing the information on the Hoshi ninja, and comparing it to the efforts of the Five Great Villages in the recent Manga chapters, I've come to the conclusion that their arrogance for claiming the title of Kage is just unforgivable. Therefore, every time I try to produce a chapter, the Hoshi ninja come across as a bunch of stuck up jerks. The effect is kind of cool but not very pleasant for the flow of the story. Plus, the next chapter is going to be an interlude right before a major boss fight, so I have to get the set up JUST right.

In addition to that, I am still hoping to get some reasonable progress done on the next chapter of Different Techniques. The next Dr. Who series is going to be coming out soon, and I sort of want that done before the premiere as a tribute. Progress is being made but its slow going.

The third issue was that the original version of this chapter had the big "Naruto reveals the Kyuubi" before moving the story along. But when I thought about doing that, the idea bored me to tears. How many dramatic reveals of that little issue can you read before becoming completely sick of it? Therefore, I simply dropped hints, had one of the smarter ninja figure it out with Shikamaru lacking the data required to do so and moved the story along. There will be a dramatic reveal soon enough, but I wonder how long I can go without doing so?

Oh, and sorry for the bashing during my evaluations. It's just that sometimes I kind of want to scream at the cannon Jonin Sensei's and this is the best venue I've got to do that for the moment. Take it as you will.

Now that all of the posturing is out of the way, it's time to break into the next story! I bet you already can guess which one I m using. I also bet you'll guess wrong. But that's most of the fun! Stay tuned and enjoy! ;)


End file.
